On July 29, 1971, Decree No. 732 was issued by the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences whereby on August 1, 1971 the Institute of Tectonics and Geophysics was established as part of the Far Eastern Science Centre of the USSR Academy of Sciences. The institute was named after Academician Yu.A. Kosygin by Decree No. 124 of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences dated May 30, 2000.

Scientists of the institute are engaged in research on a range of fundamental problems, such as tectonics and deep structure of the continent and ocean lithosphere; seismicity and seismogeodynamics; coal and hydrocarbon potential of sedimentary basins; the relationship between the formation of igneous complexes associated with mineralization and geodynamic settings of the lithosphere.