The Bremen Institute for Prevention Research and Social Medicine (BIPS) has been established on January 1st, 1981 by Professor Eberhard Greiser as a research institute legally dependent on the Society for the Promotion of Scientific Research in the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (Verein zur Foerderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung in der Freien Hansestadt Bremen e.V.). This marked the beginning of prevention research and epidemiology in Bremen. From 1982 the BIPS has been one of the study centres of the German Cardiovascular Prevention Study (GPS).
Since July 1998 one section of the institute has become a new scientific institution of the faculty for Human and Health Sciences of the University of Bremen, called the Bremen Institute for Prevention Research, Social Medicine, and Epidemiology (BIPSE). Both sections of the institute cooperated closely.
In March 2004 Professor Iris Pigeot has been appointed director of both institutes.
On January 1st, 2007 the non-university institute BIPS and the university institute BIPSE have joined to form a central research unit of the university.
The institute is organised in four departments:
Each head of department and the director are full professors at the University of Bremen. Depending on the number of research projects, approximately 100 people are involved in the institute's work. The quality of research is controlled by a research steering committee.