Established in June 2003, National Applied Research Laboratories (NARL) has consolidated nine NSC’s (National Science Council) national laboratories into an independent non-profit institute. The establishment of NARL creates a new era in the development of national laboratories in Taiwan.
NARL consists of National Nano Device Laboratories (NDL), National Laboratory Animal Center (NLAC), National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering (NCREE), National Space Organization (NSPO), National Center for High-performance Computing (NCHC), National Chip Implementation Center (CIC), Instrument Technology Research Center (ITRC), Science & Technology Policy Research and Information Center (STPI), and National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction (NCDR).
In 2006, the Preparatory Office of National Center for Ocean Research（NCOR）was established by NARL to enhance the oceanic research in Taiwan. The research areas of NARL are the crucial technologies foreseen by the nation.