National Institute of Biology

National Institute of Biology (NIB) is one of the independent Public Research Institution for Life Sciences in Slovenia. The Institute was established by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia in 1960. The basic activity of the Institute are basic, developmental and applicative research in the fields of biotechnology, biophysics, biomedicine and system biology. The numerous activities taking place at the NIB are related to the environment, agriculture, food and human health.

NIB research programmes take place within four departments:

- Marine Biological Station Piran (MBSP) on the Adriatic coast in Piran focuses on interdisciplinary ecological research of coastal seas, in the fields of physical, chemical and biological oceanography

- Department of Organisms and Ecosystems Research studies biological processes on different levels from cell to ecosystems, increasing the understanding of organisms and their role in the environment

- Department of Genetic Toxicology and Cancer Biology investigates water ecosystems and effects of pollution, damages of genetic material and the origin and development of cancer diseases

- Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology is recognized for molecular biology and systems biology, and focuses on interactions between plants and harmful organisms