Istituto di Struttura della Materia focuses on both fundamental and applied research in the materials science and technologies of matter and concentrates on design, synthesis and analysis of both well-established and new functional nano-, micro-, macro-scale materials to understand their complex properties and to develop frontier scientific concepts enabling sustainable technologies for energy, environment and information communication technology.

In recent years, the global need to use the best science to counteract climate change is directing many of the scientific efforts of the ISM towards the study of matter to support the sustainability paradigm. Aiming at pursuing the concepts of the European Green Deal and economic-environmental sustainability, ISM promotes a great effort towards the research for new materials and innovative ideas in the field of renewable energy and pollution reduction, encouraging efficient use of natural resources.

CNR-ISM is also the place where a new generation of scientists and technologists, such as master students, PhDs, postdocs can be trained in a dynamic and professional environment with the access to hundreds of different facilities for material investigation.