In the premises of the Department of Technical Botany and Microscopy of the Technical Faculty of the University of Zagreb, Kršnjavoga 25, the Laboratory for Microbiology was established in 1956 within the Food Department of the Faculty of Technology. Following the relocation of the Laboratory for Microbiology to the new building at Pierottijeva ulica 6, the Laboratory for Biology with Technical Microscopy was founded in 1960/61 as part of the Department of Microbiology. The Head of the Laboratory was Prof. Anto Jurilj, PhD, who held this position until 1979. The scientific activity of the Laboratory focused on the phylogeny and systematics of diatom algae, as well as cereal microbiology.

At the same time, in the Laboratory for Industrial Microbiology, under the leadership of Marija Alačević, PhD, a new field of research began to develop in Croatia: the genetics of industrial microorganisms.

In 1979, Prof. Marija Alačević, PhD became the Head of the Laboratory for Biology. Under the name Laboratory for Biology and Microbial Genetics, it currently operates within the Department of Biochemical Engineering of the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology.

During this period, the scientific and research work of the Laboratory encompassed research in the fields of microbial and molecular genetics. Particular emphasis was placed on the improvement of industrial microorganisms using classical genetic methods and recombinant DNA techniques, as well as on the study of molecular mechanisms of mutagenesis and DNA repair. The Laboratory also conducted testing of the genotoxicity of environmental agents. It has developed collaboration with the food and pharmaceutical industries, as well as with numerous research institutes both domestically and internationally.

Following the retirement of Prof. Marija Alačević, PhD in 1994, Prof. Jasna Franekić Čolić, PhD became Head of the Laboratory. From 2011 to 2013 and from 2015 to 2021, this position was held by Prof. Ivan-Krešimir Svetec, PhD, and from 2013 to 2014 by Assoc. Prof. Lidija Šver, PhD.