1960年，圣地亚哥市赠送了27英亩的俯瞰太平洋的土地给索尔克，他总结了自己的美学目标，与建筑师路易斯·卡恩合作设计了研究中心。 在国家基金会/March of Dimes的财政支持下，索尔克生物研究所于1963年开业。

主要研究领域是衰老和再生医学，癌症生物学，免疫系统生物学，代谢和糖尿病，神经科学和神经系统疾病以及植物生物学。索尔克的研究为一系列疾病提供了新的理解和潜在的治疗方法，从艾滋病和阿尔茨海默氏症到癌症和心血管疾病。植物生物学家的发现正在为提高世界粮食供应的质量和数量以及解决包括全球变暖在内的关键环境问题铺平道路。

该研究所得到了美国国立卫生研究院，私人基金会和重视科学开拓的个人的研究资助。自研究所成立以来一直支持的“迪姆斯三月”每年都在财政上捐款。 作为第一任所长，索尔克谈到他的同名研究所时说：“索尔克研究所是一个好的地方它正在被创造，并从事创造的研究。我们无法确定这里会发生什么，但我们可以肯定，这将有助于人类的福利和理解。

    In 1960, the City of San Diego gave Salk 27 acres of land overlooking the Pacific Ocean, who summed up his aesthetic goals by designing the research center in collaboration with architect Louis Kahn.With financial support from the National Foundation/March of Dimes, the Salk Institute for Biology opened in 1963.
    The main research areas are aging and regenerative medicine, cancer biology, immune system biology, metabolism and diabetes, neuroscience and neurological diseases, and plant biology. Salk's research offers new understandings and potential treatments for a range of diseases, from AIDS and Alzheimer's to cancer and cardiovascular disease. Plant biologists' findings are paving the way for improving the quality and quantity of the world's food supply and addressing key environmental issues, including global warming.
    The institute receives research grants from the National Institutes of Health, private foundations, and individuals who value scientific pioneering. "Dimms March", which has been supported since the institute's inception, has made financial contributions every year.As the first director, Salk said of his eponymous institute: "The Salk Institute is a good place where it is being created and engaged in creative research. We can't be sure what will happen here, but we can be sure that it will contribute to human welfare and understanding.