As a relatively young research institute, NIMTE had just celebrated its 20th birthday. Despite its limited history, NIMTE has shown extraordinary developmental potential and impact.

In 2004, NIMTE was officially co-founded by the CAS, the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province and the People’s Government of Ningbo Municipality. By virtue of the tremendous strength of the national research group and the location superiority of the Yangtze Delta, NIMTE initiated development in farmland, dedicating itself to fulfilling the mission of transforming S&T into productivity.

NIMTE has devoted itself to forward-looking technology research, system integration research, engineering verification research and talent training, gradually forging the scientific "three-chain integration" approach, thus enhancing its innovative contributions to society.

NIMTE currently pursues 3 dominant research directions (i.e., magnetic functional materials and devices, marine new materials and related technologies, high-performance fibers and composites), and 6 featured research directions (i.e., optoelectronic information materials and devices, hydrogen fuel and solid-state battery materials and technologies, precision medical probe materials and techniques, special materials via extreme manufacturing and atomic-scale manufacturing, extreme permanent magnet drive motor and control technologies, cutting-edge new materials and future technologies), actively implementing world-leading innovation. NIMTE has essentially achieved its goals with "materials" as the cornerstone, employing materials to solve application problems and accelerate social development.

In the future, NIMTE will further unite its efforts, remain true to its original aspirations, and strive to construct an institute featuring first-class talent teams, a first-class policy environment, first-class research and innovation platforms, first-class research achievements and outputs, first-class disciplinary competitiveness and first-class self-development capabilities, evolving into an indispensable scientific research institution for national S&T research and leading regional economic innovation-driven development.