Nara Institute of Science and Technology (奈良先端科学技術大学院大学 Nara Sentan Kagaku Gijutsu Daigakuin Daigaku), abbreviated as NAIST, is a Japanese national university located in Ikoma, Nara of Kansai Science City. It was founded in 1991 with a focus on research and consists solely of graduate schools in three integrated areas: Biological Sciences, Information Sciences, and Material Sciences. In 2010, NAIST ranked first overall among the 86 Japanese national universities by the Japanese government in its first-ever six-year assessment of national university standards and achievements.