The research interest converted from bionics to neuroscience underwent several generations' arduous work in the Institute of Biophysics (IBP), Chinese Academy of Sciences. Since 1959, it had taken about 46 years from the beginning of 3-person theoretic research group (the predecessor for the laboratory of bionics) to the establishment of the State Key Laboratory for Brain and Cognitive Science in IBP in 2005. Here, we try to recall and review this progression.