Initially, the staff consisted of four researchers (Ilhami Nimani, Selman Riza, Mehdi Bardhi, and Ali Rexha) and several external collaborators.

With the increase in personnel number and research fields in 1977, the institute moved into its own newly constructed building.

On 8 March 1994, the Serbian police enter the building and dragged the employees outside, beaten and covered in blood.

[1] Nevertheless, the work continued in private establishments, until 1 April 1998, when an Albanian-Serbian agreement was reached with some international intermediation, and the building was restored to the institute.

For a period of time, selected articles are published also in French in a special edition named Recherche Albanologique.