National Centre for Ultrafast Processes was established in 1997 initially as a DST-IRHPA-National facility - the first of its kind for the use of researchers in academic institutions for time resolved emission and absorption studies in the pico-second time scale. With the input of funds for separate building from the Tamilnadu Government, the centre has emerged as an advanced centre for research and the Senate of University of Madras approved the centre as a part of University of Madras and made it as an advanced Centre for Research in November - 2000. The centre has now emerged as a premier centre for Photonics and Ultrafast Spectroscopy.