About IGDB

The Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (IGDB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) was founded in 2001, through a merger of three institutes: the Institute of Genetics, the Institute of Developmental Biology, and the Shijiazhuang Institute of Agricultural Modernization. The merger has created a modern, thriving Chinese institution of scientific research, with about 90 principal investigators and more than 360 researchers and technical staff. IGDB uses research on plant and animal models to help solve relevant challenges in China, such as those of food security and human health, or crippling water shortages for its vast population of more than one billion people. The institute has five research centers in the fields of genome biology, molecular agrobiology, developmental biology, molecular systems biology and agro-resources, respectively. The institute also homes to three state key laboratories including the State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, the State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, and the State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology. Researchers in the institute have achieved breakthroughs in crop genomics, wide hybridization, molecular breeding, and regenerative medicine. It also has relationships with institutes and universities around the world to tackle the global challenges of food security and sustainable healthcare. Together with 10 other CAS institutes, in 2018 IGDB established the College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences at the University of CAS and has also been working on the establishment of the Innovative Academy for Seed Design (INASEED) of CAS, which includes members from 19 other institutes of CAS, to support the national seed industry.