The Institute was founded in 1964. From the date of founding to June 30, 1999, it was subordinate to State Administration for Building Materials Industry. From July 1,1999, it has become a subordinate to China Nonmetal Mineral Industry (Group) Corporation.
The Institute is the sole comprehensive research and design institution for glass fibers in China, having multiple capabilities of research, design, development, production, trading and product evaluation and testing, and holding Class A design certificate. Now the Institute has following divisions: Continuous Glass Fiber Research and Design Division, Mineral Wool Research and Design Division, Non-communication Optical Fiber Research Division, Glass Fiber Application Technology Research Division, Special Sealing Material Research Division, Inorganic Material Science Research Division, Glass Fiber Filtration Material Research Division and Building Design and Research Division. In addition, following organizations are set up in the Institute : National Supervision and Inspection Center for Glass Fiber Product Quality, National Glass Fibers and Products Engineering Research Center, National Glass Fiber Science and Technology Information Center and National Glass Fiber Standardization Unit. The Institute are also responsible to edit and publish nationwide magazines ※Fiber Glass§ and ※Thermal Insulations and Energy-Saving Technology§.

Furthermore, the Institute has set up following companies successively by way of sole proprietorship, share holding or share taking: Nanjing Shuangwei Industry and Commerce Co., Nanjing Chunhui Science and Technology Industry Co. Ltd., Nanjing 3F Industry Corp., Nanjing Filter Materials Research and Development Center, Nanjing Ningnan Supervision Co., Platinum Product Branch of Nanjing FRD Inorganic Materials General Company , Nanjing Kangte Composite Material Plant, Nanjing Fujika Science and Technology Business Co. Ltd, Nanjing Qiangshi Engineering Materials Co. Ltd, Nanjing Xingya FRP Co. Ltd and Nanjing Hongtai Grinding Wheel Co. Ltd. Of them, Shuangwei, Chunhui, 3F and Filter Materials Center have also invested in some limited liability companies or China-foreign joint ventures in Nanjing, Shenzhen, Changzhou, etc.

At present, the business range of above enterprises of the Institute mainly covers: glass fibers (including yarns, rovings, chopped strands, mats, textiles, stove wicks, etc.); thermal and acoustic insulations (including rock wool, glass wool and blankets, slabs ,pipe sections, etc. made therewith); new type building materials and other products (including acoustic tiles made of mineral wool, glass tissue, surface mat, bulky mat, lead-acid battery separators, membranes, refractory fiber paper, etc.); specialty glass fibers (including high strength fiber, high modulus fiber, high silica fiber, boron-free and alkali-free fiber and their products, shaped and contoured 3-D braids, glass microspheres, etc.); non-communication optical fibers (including glass optical fiber, silica optical fibers, plastic optical fiber and their processed products and components); glass fiber reinforced composites(including FRP products, reinforced rubber tire cords, reinforced thermoplastic pellets, reinforced grinding wheels, reinforced PTFE membranes, etc.); inorganic fiber filtration materials (including flat filter cloth, bulked yarn cloth, needled mat, composite filter material made of glass fiber and synthetic fibers, etc.); special sealing and wear-resistant materials (including glass, carbon and aramid fiber reinforced PTFE sealing parts, packings, etc.); chemical agents and special resins(including emulsion-type, powder-type and aqueous binders for particular uses, concentrated sizing agents, etc.); glass fiber geotextiles and geocomposites; platinum-rhodium bushing design and fabrication, oil seals for cars; industrial and medical endoscopes; disposable blood transfusion units with leucocytes filters; disposable optical probes for blood disease treatment; fiberglass medical casts; glass fiber machinery and equipment design and fabrication; automatic control; special materials and products for national defense and military uses; engineering designs for glass fiber and mineral wool projects as well as industrial and civil building designs.