The IIS has 5 principal Research Departments that cover the following research fields:

Department of Fundamental Engineering (Dept. 1)
Department of Mechanical and Biofunctional Systems (Dept. 2)
Department of Informatics and Electronics (Dept. 3)
Department of Materials and Environmental Science (Dept. 4)
Department of Human and Social Systems (Dept. 5)

Research Departments consist of these 5 principal departments, Guest Chair, Corporate Sponsored Research Programs and Social Cooperation Programs.

All laboratories belong to one of the 5 principal departments. Based on their research results, laboratories of different fields sometimes form a research group in order to start a closer systematic cooperation. When such a research project relates to a strategic field of special importance, the research group becomes a Research Center, a Collaborative Research Center, or an International Collaborative Research Center. Research Centers belong to the IIS research facilities and are structured organically and flexibly to transcend the framework of a single department through cooperation, collaboration, and fusion between Research Departments.

The IIS has a Collaborative Research Center and an International Collaborative Research Center besides Research Centers qualified as IIS Research Facilities. Collaborative Research Center is created for large-scale collaborative projects with the industrial sector.

International Collaborative Research Center is initiated based on a collaborative agreement or on a letter of intent between IIS and overseas research institutes.