FMRC focuses on “mushrooms” among other fungi. With the mushroom strains as the core resource, the center conducts basic research on fungal taxonomy, phylogenetic analysis, and stable preservation techniques, as well as applied research on breeding, genetics and bioactive compounds produced by mushrooms by using strains and their extracts as resources.

FMRC assigns TUFC numbers to the deposited strains and preserves them along with the specimens from which the strain was isolated. The TUFC collection was initiated with 3,000 strains of 300 species transferred from the Japan Kinoko Research Center Foundation when the FMRC was established in 2005 and is now expanding to 9,151 strains (as of November 2022).

History of FMRC

  • 2005

    January 17

    The Preparatory Committee of the establishment of FMRC was inaugurated within the Faculty of Agriculture.

    March 23

    An Agreement was made concerning the establishment of the Division of Applied Research as a division of the center thanks to support from Tottori Prefecture.

    March 23

    An agreement relating to a research partnership was made with The Tottori Mycological Institute of the Japan Kinoko Research Centre Foundation concerning the transfer of world-class macrofungus genetic resources (about 1,000 species, 10,000 strains) and collaboration of researchers.

    April 1

    FMRC was established.

    FMRC started with three divisions: the Division of Environmental Ecology, the Division of Molecular Genetics and the Division of Applied Research (Contribution Division)

    July 15

    The commemorative ceremony of establishing FMRC celebrations were held.

  • 2006

    March 27

    An agreement on collaborative research was made with the Japan Kinoko Research Center Foundation

    April 1

    The “Division of Genetic Resource Preservation and Evaluation” was established as the fourth division in FMRC.

  • 2007

    March 19

    As part of the facilities improvement project in the university, the block of FMRC in affiliation with the Faculty of Agriculture was completed, and an Inauguration Ceremony was held.

  • 2008

    February 21

    A joint debriefing session concerning research achievements called “The forefront of the bird flu research and mushroom research” was held in the Tottori Residents’ Cultural Hall.

    April 1

    In accordance with the termination of the support from the Tottori Prefecture that had lasted for three years from 2005, two full-time academic staffs were employed in the Division of Applied Research, and the research system was comprised of five full-time and three concurrent academic staffs.

    June 18

    “Advanced Utilization of Fungus/Mushroom Resources for Sustainable Society in Harmony with Nature” in which all the staffs of the center participated was adopted as a Global COE Program by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 2008.

  • 2009

    September 1

    Two of limited-time academic staffs were employed to promote researches in Global COE Program, and the research system was comprised of five full-time and three concurrent academic staffs.

  • 2011

    March 30

    FMRC Building #2 was completed.

  • 2012

    Jun 11

    TUFC Cultures Online Catalogue was released and distribution service of TUFC collections was started (restricted in Japan).

    A completion ceremony of a new building of FMRC Building #3 was performed.

  • 2013

    April 1

    Two Assistant Professors (project research staffs) were joined and FMRC was reorganized into five research divisions.