Wuhan Institute of Virology Chinese Academy of Sciences was founded in 1956,it was one of earliest national level institutes established after the founding of the New China. It was jointly established by the renowned virologist Gao Shangyin CAS, microbiologist Chen Huakui CAS, nationally renowned professor Jian Haoran and other colleagues from their generation and named “the Wuhan Microbial Research Laboratory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences”. Upon its inception, it immediately began to address the problems and meet the challenges of the period with hard work, enthusiasm and dedication. In 1961,it became the South China Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and in 1962,it was renamed as “Wuhan Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences”. Subsequently, in 1970, it was put under the administration of the Hubei Commission of Science & Technology and became known as the Hubei Institute of Microbiology. In June 1978, it was returned to the jurisdiction of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, whose modifications to the direction of research programs reflected the currents needs of the nation, and the institute adopted its current title of “Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan Institute of Virology”.

Although the institute has experienced many reorganizations, name changes, and has been under different jurisdictions throughout the years, the ethics of its virus researchers has remained consistent throughout its history. These scientists have been characterized by their persistence had hard work and have reported many important achievements in virology, applied microbiology and biotechnology by addressing national needs and developing internationally recognized research.