The Institute was established for the purpose of carrying out fundamental research and applied developments in the field of biotechnology, plant physiology and genetics, as an independent scientific institution within the organized National Center for Biotechnology of the Republic of Kazakhstan in accordance with the decree of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated November 16, 1993. No. 1140 «On measures to ensure the activities of the National Center for Biotechnology of the Republic of Kazakhstan» in pursuance of Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated January 21, 1993 No. 1090 «On measures to improve the organization of science and the development of scientific and technical potential of the Republic».
The Institute was found on the basis of specialized laboratories of the Institute of Botany and the Main Botanical Garden of the Academy of Science of KazSSR under the name «Institute of Plant Physiology, Genetics and Bioengineering».
Organizer and first director of the Institute is Academician of NAS RK Izbasar Rakhimbaev. He founded a scientific school of plant biotechnologists in Kazakhstan — trained 8 doctors and 30 candidates of sciences.
The Institute is located in the Phytotron building, built in 1973 on the initiative of Academician of NAS RK Fatima Abulkhairovna Polimbetova, the leader of phytophysiology in Kazakhstan. The formation and development of IPBB is associated with the names of such famous scientists as F. Polimbetova, E. Bogdanova, L. Mamonov, B. Sarsenbaev, A. Sedlovsky, N. Khailenko, O. Taranov.
In accordance with the need to move to a qualitatively new level, fundamental changes were made in the structure and name of the institute in 2006. In accordance with the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan «On State Enterprise» dated June 19, 1995 and on the basis of the Decree of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 742 dated August 7, 2006, a subsidiary of a state-owned enterprise «Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology» was established, which was then transformed into the RSE «Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology» (Decree of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 151 dated March 1, 2010).
