THE INSTITUTE OF BIOLOGY of the Komi Filial AS USSR was established in 1962 by the Order of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR from 23 March, 1962 № 1014-r and by the Resolution of the Presidium AS USSR № 591 from 30 June, 1962 on the basis of six biological subdivisions of the Komi Filial AS USSR, i.e. laboratories with total personnel number of 115.
Biological studies on the territory of the Komi Republic were initiated long before establishment of the Institute. Significant contribution was made by big complex expeditions of the AS USSR in the beginning of ХХ century devoted to flora and fauna, land and forest resources of the European North-East.
Continuous studies on biological nature resources of the Komi Republic date back to the year of 1944 when the Base AS USSR in the Komi ASSR was organized. In 1949 it was reorganized into the Komi Filial AS USSR. That period`s studies were devoted to vegetation cover, animal world, land resources. The scientists started the work on geobotanic and soil maps, faunistic division of the region into districts.
The first summarizing scientific writing work was the multivolume monography "Productive forces of the Komi ASSR" (1953) that included the results of geologic, faunistic, geobonatic, and soil studies. The Institute of Biology intensified the studies on formation mechanisms of renewable nature resources on that spacious terrain and on bioclimatic features of their location and productivity. That direction made the development basis of the Institute. It has been of greatest importance for whole Institute`s history till today.
The organizer and first director of the Institute (1962-1965) was Corresponding Member AS USSR, Academician, Chair of the Presidium of the Komi Filial AS USSR (1957-1965) P.P. Vavilov.
From 1965 till 1985 the Institute was headed by Doctor of Agricultural Sciences I.V. Zaboeva. From 1986 till 1988 the Institute was headed by Doctor of Biology M.V. Getsen. From 1988 till 2010 the Institute`s director was Candidate of Biology A.I. Taskaev. In 2011 Doctor of Biology S.V. Degteva was elected as director of the Institute.
More detailed information on history of the Institute is available in the publication of I.V. Zaboeva and A.I. Taskaev "INSTITUTE OF BIOLOGY OF THE KOMI SCIENCE CENTRE OF THE URAL DIVISION OF THE RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES", Syktyvkar, 2002 (in Russian).
