Chengdu Institute of Biology (CIB), the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), was founded in 1958, and was chosen in 1999 as one of the experimental institutes for implemening the Knowledge Innovation Programme of the CAS, which aims at promoting the innovative capacity of its affiliated research institutes through key input in human resources and research funds.

　　 Now, CIB has a staff  of 306 people, including 1 academician and 96 senior researchersWith southwestern China as its focal working area, CIB aims primarily at sustainable development  and utilization, and effective conservation of biological resources. While continuously rising its  institutional capacity of innovation, CIB integrates the important state needs in the fields of human health, restoration ecology and sustainable agriculture with the world frontiers of modern sciences to carry out basic and applied researches, as well as high-tech research of natural medicine, ecological　restoration and rehabilitation, biodiversity conservation, pollution control, modern agriculture and food  security, so as to provide knowledge bases, technical supports and policy-making suggestions for  sustainable socio-economic development of the country. CIB offers three Ph.D. programmes and six master degree programmes, with more than 200 graduate students and Ph.D. candidates studying here at present. It has established permanent field stations for ecological studies, bases for plant breeding and genetic improvements, and pilot bases for the studies on industrial and environmental biotechnologies, as well as open laboratories for the resear- ches of natural  products, molecular  biology and experimental ecology.

  All  the researches are　upported by a well equipped library with rich biology-related literature and sophisticated network. Digitalized biodiversity databases and information systems have developed in CIB for both of plant  herbarium and herpetological museum with the largest collection of reptiles and amphibians in China. In addition, National Engineering Research Center for Natural Medicines was jointly established by  CIB with Chengdu Di'ao Pharmaceutical Company. CIB has developed substantial cooperation with universities and other research institutions at home and abroad. Also, CIB sponsors the Chinese  Journal of Applied and Environmental Biology, a core scientific journal of that field in China. Over the years, CIB has obtained over 300 achievements in scientific research, and more than 100 achievements were awarded prizes at different levels. A number of the research results, Di'ao Xinxuekang (a medicine for cardiovascular diseases) for instance, have been successfully transferre to industrialization and generated enormous social and economic benefits.