| May 1921 |
Established as the Road Materials Testing Department in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. |
| Sep. 1922 |
Reorganized as the Civil Engineering Laboratory in Komagome, Tokyo. |
| Aug. 1937 |
Founded as the Testing Laboratory of the Civil Engineering Department, Hokkaido Agency. |
| Sep. 1947 |
Became independent as the Hokkaido Civil Engineering Institute. |
| July 1948 |
Renamed as the Public Works Research Institute, Ministry of Construction. |
| July 1951 |
Attached to the newly established Hokkaido Development Bureau and renamed as the Civil Engineering Research Institute. |
| Apr. 1988 |
Reorganized the entire body. |
| Apr. 2001 |
Established the Independent Administrative Agency Public Works Research Institute.
The Niigata Experimental Laboratory and the Aqua Restoration Research Center remained with PWRI.
|
| Apr. 2001 |
Renamed as the Independent Administrative Institution the Civil Engineering Research Institute of Hokkaido. |
| Mar. 2006 |
Established the International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management. |
| Apr. 2006 |
Integrated as the Incorporated Administrative Agency Public Works Research Institute. |
| Apr. 2008 |
Established the Center for Advanced Engineering Structural Assessment and Research. |
| Apr. 2015 |
Transformed into the National Research and Development Agency Public Works Research Institute. |
| Apr. 2015 |
Established the Innovative Materials and Resources Research Center. |
