KSCSTE-Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (KSCSTE - JNTBGRI) was found in 1979 with the objective of establishing a Conservatory Botanic Garden of tropical plant resources in general and of the country and the Kerala state in particular. It also undertakes research programmes for the sustainable utilization of the resources. The idea of establishing the institute was conceived soon after the first United Nations Conference on human Environment, held in Stockholm in 1972 by the Founder Director, the late Professor A. Abraham and its became his commitment to conserve the waning tropical plant species of India. Consequently, the institute was established as an autonomous R & D organization by the Government of Kerala in 1979.

In 1996 Saraswathy Thangavelu Extension Centre of KSCSTE - JNTBGRI housing the Bioinformatics component become functioning. During the year 2003, JNTBGRI was bought under the newly formed society, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE).

KSCSTE - JNTBGRI is the only organization in India, which maintains a 300 acre conservatory garden for the wild tropical plant genetic resources of the country, besides a well integrated multidisciplinary R & D system dealing with conservation, management and sustainable utilization of tropical plant resources. During the past 30 years, it has flourished into one of the premier R & D organization in Asia, devoted to conservation and sustainable utilization of tropical plant diversity. The institute is recognized as a 'National Centre of Excellence in ex situ conservation and sustainable utilization of tropical plants diversity' by the Minister of Environment and Forests, Government of India and the Centre of Science and Technology of Non-Aligned and other Developing Countries (NAM S&T Centre) JNTBGRI enjoys the membership of Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). The institute is a recognized centre of research for post graduate and doctoral research of several universities, within the country.