The IC merges two souls of Crystallography: the methodological and the experimental ones. It develops innovative crystallographic methods, applicable to inorganic and biological materials; it studies the structure of proteic molecules and small molecules of industrial and bio-pharmaceutical interest, it characterizes materials of technological interest as nano-crystals and quasi-crystals, it develops the instrumental research by introducing innovative scientific instrumentation in the international market, it is an important developer of software of international interest; it realises bio-sensors based on photosynthetic proteins, necessary to various ambient, alimentary and medical applications. The IC has strong interactions with national and international pharmaceutical industries, with industries working in the materials area of technological interest and with industries of scientific instrumentation.