The Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic is one of the major chemical institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The research activities of the Institute address topics from nearly the entire field of polymer science. The Institute was founded in 1959 by Professor Otto Wichterle, one of the leading personages of polymer science at the time. The Institute benefits from wide-ranging expertise and experimental or theoretical methods developed in-house. From polymer synthesis and physical chemistry of macromolecular systems to polymer physics and materials processing on the one hand or to biochemistry and biology, on the other hand, one can always find within the Institute an expert in a particular field to consult for advice or highly qualified project collaboration. Although most research projects are conducted in basic subfields of polymer science, the Institute also maintains close contacts with applied research laboratories as well as the industry, both domestic and foreign. The collaborative research and developed technologies range from biomedical and pharmaceutical applications to advanced materials and polymer recycling.