The Applied Biology Institute (ABI), as a university level research unit, was established in March 2007. ABI is supported by the doctorate degree authorization of a first-level discipline, biology, and hosts a provincial key discipline of zoology. The main research fields include applied molecular toxicology, and molecular evolution and ecological adaption. Approved by the Shanxi Science and Technology Department, the provincial key laboratory of Agricultural Integrated Pest Management was co-constructed by ABI and Institute of Plant Protection, Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Science in 2013, and the relevant graduate innovative practice base of Shanxi University was founded in 2014, providing favorable conditions for the development of ABI.

     There are 17 employees in the institute, including 3 professors, 7 associate professors and 7 lecturers, and all of them are PhD. The 85% of teachers are younger than 40 years old. ABI pays attention to train young academic leaders and backbones, selecting young teachers and graduates as senior visiting scholars and cooperators to high-level international research institutes. ABI develops sufficient teamwork spirit and improves the scientific research level, to build a well-constructed, united, innovative, and vigorous high-quality research team. ABI also attaches importance to the academic exchange with domestic and overseas peers, bringing in 5 and 1 distinguished professors of Shanxi provincial Hundred Talents Program and Shanxi University, respectively. Furthermore, 15 experts are employed as visiting professors, such as Le Kang academician. Their guidance and support promotes the talent team building and the improvement of research level of ABI.

     The research fields of ABI include insect cuticle metabolism, RNA interference mechanism and insect molecular toxicology. ABI is granted by more than 20 projects of National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), among which there are 1 key project, 1 China and Germany cooperation project, 2 major international cooperation projects. The institute also hosts one “973” program funded by Ministry of Science and Technology and 22 projects by Shanxi province. In recent five years, the research funds of ABI have exceeded 15 million RMB. More than 100 papers were published on important academic journals, such as PLoS Genetics, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pest Management Science, and Chemosphere, and 12 national patents for invention were authorized, 1 second class prize of Shanxi provincial natural science award was won.

     ABI focuses on the strategic target of Shanxi University, “Building a high-level research university with distinctive regional characteristic”, and takes advantages of the specialities of ABI to develop an innovative team, contributing to the long-term development of Shanxi University.