The Palace Museum's Ancient Ceramics Research Center was established in 2005. After more than two years of development, it submitted an application report to the National Cultural Heritage Administration for setting up the Key Scientific Research Base of Ancient Ceramics in 2007. After on-site defense and interpellations organized by the National Cultural Heritage Administration, it was officially approved in February 2008 as the Key Scientific Research Base of Ancient Ceramics (the Palace Museum), National Cultural Heritage Administration. It is also one of the 12 current scientific research bases of the National Cultural Heritage Administration. On December 8, 2009, the research base was officially inaugurated after the director was recruited, the academic committee was established, and measures for operation and management were formulated.

The research base consists of researchers in sectors of science and humanities. It now has 20 researchers, including 10 with senior professional and technical titles and five with intermediate professional and technical titles. Miao Jianmin, a researcher, serves as the director of the research base. Zhu Qingshi, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is the head of the academic committee, and Geng Baochang, a well-known expert in ancient ceramic research, serves as a consultant to the academic committee.

The research base will take full advantage of the personnel, relic resources, and instruments of the Palace Museum to conduct comprehensive research on significant and challenging issues in ancient ceramic research.