29. april 1960 - Adoption of the Regulation on Establishment of the Institute of Biology at the Biology Department of the Biotechnical Faculty of University of Ljubljana, located at Aškerčeva 12 in Ljubljana.

1969 - Establishment of the Marine Biological Station, which operated in an old family villa in Portorož until 1980.

1975 - The Institute was reorganised to a joint working organisation.

1980 - The Marine Biological Station was reallocated to refurbished premises of the Salvetti factory on the coast near Piran.

1988 - The Ljubljana part of the Institute moved to premises on Karlovška 19 in Ljubljana.

25. marec 1994 - Adoption of the Decision on Establishment of the Public Research Institution the Institute of Biology, jointly established by the Government of the RS and the University of Ljubljana.

1995-1998 - The Ljubljana part of the Institute gradually moved to the new building of the Biological Centre on Večna pot 111 in Ljubljana.

17. januar 1998 - The Institute was renamed the National Institute of Biology, short the NIB, established by the Government of the RS.

2004-2006 - The Institute was renamed the National Institute of Biology, short the NIB, established by the Government of the RS.

Previous directors

Prof. dr. Hubert Pehani (Trebnje, 1 November 1900 – 24 February 1995) was the first director of the Institute of Biology since its establishment on 29 April 1960 until 1966.

Prof. dr. Miran Vardjan (Lož, 1 May 1919) was head of the Institute of Biology from 1966 to 1968.

Prof. dr. Franc Sušnik (Prevalje, 28 December 1930 – 12 September 1996) was the head of the Institute of Biology of the University of Ljubljana between 1968 and 1976.

Prof. dr. Matija Gogala (Ljubljana, 11 February 1937) was head of the Institute of Biology of the University of Ljubljana from 1976 to 1979.

Dr. Milan Lovka (Ljubljana, 12 February 1946) was head of the Institute of Biology from 1979 to 1984.

Mitja Grosman, MSc (Ljubljana, 5 January 1951) was head of the Institute from 1984 to 1988.

Prof. dr. Andrej Čokl (Ljubljana, 16 June 1947) was director of the Institute of Biology from 1988 to 1996.

Since the year 1996 the director of the institut is: prof. dr. Tamara Lah Turnšek.