The Institute of Biology was established in 1962. The total number of employees is 350, including 20 Doctors and 81 Candidates of Science. The Institute consists of 6 departments, 7 laboratories, the Science Museum , the Botanical Garden, the Herbarium (SYKO), the Experimental Animals Nursery, the Forest Ecological Station.

The Institute is the founder of several scientific-technical and educational centers: the Northern Biochemical Company, the Environmental Educative Center "Snegyr", the Scientific-Educative Center "BIOGIS". The Institute trains staff of the top skills through post-doctorate (3 specialties) and post-graduate (10 specialties) courses. At the Institute there functions the Board for the Defence of Dissertations for a Doctor's and Candidate's Degree i n 3 specialties.

The Institute carries out work on coordination of ecological-biological research, develops joint investigations together with the Siberian and Far-Eastern Branches of the Russian Academy of Sciences, interacts with the leading science centres and higher schools of Russia and CIS. It organizes and conducts large All-Russia and international conferences and symposia on the problems of bioindication, cryo-pedology, invertebrate ecology, rehabilitation and conservation of the environment, ecological physiology of plants, phytoecdysteroids. The Institute has close scientific links and carries out joint projects with the scientific and educative organizations of Finland , Great Britain , the Netherlands , Poland , Italy , Czech Republic , Norway , Sweden and USA . .

The Institute has up-to-date equipment for the modern physical and chemical analysis of biological objects, soils, natural and sewage, waste products and various pollutants. The "Eco-Analyt" Laboratory and the Laboratory of Migration of Radio-Nuclides and R adiochemistry are accredited. The patents for the newly discovered ways of phenol compounds and radio-nuclides detection, extraction and purification of biologically active substances have been received.

The basic directions of research

-The study of biodiversity, structural and functional organization, stability and productivity of taiga and tundra ecosystems;

-Identification of biological effect of ionizing radiation and physical and chemical factors on cells, living organisms and natural ecosystems; problems of radiation and ecological genetics;

-The study of the physiological-biochemical bases of plant adaptation and reproduction in conditions of cold climate ;

-Biologically active compounds in plants of natural flora and introduced plants (ecological-biological, biochemical and biotechnological aspects);

-Development of methods of monitoring and bio-indication; c reation of cadastres and databases on biological resources of the European Northeast using remote sensing methods and GIS technologies.

The major results of researches

Multivolume generalizing works have been published: "Flora of the North-East of the European Part of Russia" and "Fauna of the European North-East of Russia ". The materials on birds of the region were included in modern ornithological atlases (the Atlas of Nesting Birds of Europe, the Atlas of Birds of Western Paleo-Arctic). In the aquatic ecosystems of the European Northeast over 1200 invertebrate taxons and over 50 fish species have been revealed and investigated.

The results of studying the flora and vegetation of the Pechora-Ilych State Biosphere Reserve and the National Park "Yugyd-Va" have been generalized. The results of complex geo-botanical and floristic studies of deciduous forests of the subzones of middle and south taiga have been summariz ed.

Suggestions on the strategy of formation the forest complex and development of forestry have been made. The 2-volume summary "Forests of the Republic of Komi " and "Bio-Production Process in Forest Ecosystems of the North" has been issued.

The inventory of soils and soil cover has been completed. The State Soil Map (scale 1: 1 000 000) and a series of soil-ecological maps has been prepared. The classification and forecast of the evolution of northern soils has been developed. The biological activity of soils has been characterized. The estimation of stocks of organic carbon in 25 dominating soil classes has been given.

In the Botanical Garden of the Institute the collections including more than 3000 species and samples have been created. New productive cultivars (Heracleum sosnovskyi Manden "Uspekh" and "Severyanin", Aconogonon weirichii (Fr.Schmidt) Hara "Syktyvkarets", Helianthus tuberosus L. "Vylgortskyi") have been introduced, species and caltivars perspective for economic use in the North have been suggested.

The effects of low doses of ionizing radiation on animals and plants have been investigated on molecular, tissue, organism and population levels. The increased mutation rate, cytogenetic and biochemical deviations have been revealed. The regularities of radionuclides migration in the terrestrial ecosystems of various natural zones, including 30 km exclusion zone of the Chernobyl Atomic Power Plant have been established. The recommendations for rehabilitation of radioactive-contaminated territories have been developed. On the basis of studying drosophila mutant lines the model of radiation-induced changes of life expectancy has been developed.

The regularities of photosynthesis and respiration have been investigated, their role in plant stability and productivity has been shown. The complex of parameters for estimation the metabolic activity of plants of natural flora and introduced plants has been developed. The morpho- physiology of underground metameric complex of rhizome-forming and stolon-forming herbaceous perennials has been investigated. The substantiation for application the growth regulators for the increase of yield and production quality of the major for the North cultures has been given .