This invention relates to: (1) a transparent composite material comprising a cured product of a resin composition having from 60 to 90% by mass of a vinyl ester resin composition which has a vinyl ester resin being synthesized from an aliphatic epoxy compound and from 10 to 40% by mass of synthetic smectite that is organized with a quaternary ammonium salt and/or a quaternary phosphonium salt and has a number average particle diameter of from 10 to 300 nm and an aspect ratio of from 10 to 300, the composition being cured, (2) a method for producing the transparent composite material, wherein the raw material composition for the composite material before curing is cured with an electron beam (EB), an ultraviolet ray (UV) or heat, and (3) a display device and a substrate for a solar cell comprising the transparent composite material as a substrate.