The Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity ( IEB ) is one of three research institutes of the Chilean Millennium Science Initiative (MSI). Millennium Science Institutes are Centers of Excellence, bringing together scientists sharing a common philosophy and research goals. IEB was conceived in 2005, and received funding as of March 2006. A new institution, IEB grew out of the former MSI Nucleus "Center for Advanced Studies in Ecology and Research on Biodiversity" (MCEB), with new additions to the original staff. Creating IEB was a natural step to consolidating a group of scientists and their graduate students who have been working together for more than 20 years ago. The seeds of IEB were sown in 1978 with the establishment of the Plant Systematics and Ecology laboratory at the Faculty of Sciences, University of Chile.

IEB is a novel institution that functions in a network mode and relies heavily on the internet as an organizational tool. IEB scientists pertain to five Chilean universities and two private foundations. IEB has ongoing research links with scientists in some 16 additional countries.

IEB's expertise is in the fields of palaeoecology, palaeoclimatology, biogeography, macroecology, ecosystem dynamics, forest ecology, evolutionary ecology, molecular phylogenetics, plant reproductive biology, behavioral biology, microevolution, ecological modeling, conservation biology, environmental ethics and biocultural conservation. At the time of its founding, current members of IEB had over 700 scientific publications, including 14 books, and several papers in Science and Nature.

Permanent field stations and field sites dating from an earlier period are found at Senda Darwin Foundation on the Island of Chiloé, Omora Foundation on Navarino Island, in the central Chilean mediterranean-type climate Andes close to Santiago, and in the coastal winter rainfall deserts in Fray Jorge National Park.