The institute, founded in 1952 in Yerevan by Ministry of non-ferrous metallurgy of the USSR, was branch of Moscow Giprotsvetmet design institute. In 1957, on the basis of Yerevan branch, a first-class design institute was founded to enlarge the capacity of construction, design and research work. This institute had its separate balance and was responsible for main design tasks for all constructions of non-ferrous metallurgy in Armenia. In the same year another institute was founded in Armenia – a research mining-metallurgical institute (RMMI) which had the liabilities of the head institute and had among its tasks the development of scientific issues and the realization of experimental constructions, as well as research work for non-ferrous metallurgical enterprises in Armenian. The aim of the institute was to improve metallurgical and mining industries. Later RMMI and Armgiprotsvetmet were united. The activities of the united institute were realized in several directions, including:

– The improvement of existing technologies intending to develop the existing deposits and to create new and advanced technologies with the aim of increasing the recovery of conditioned raw material and simultaneously, decreasing extraction costs.

– The development of productive methods and technologies for increasing the recovery index of molybdenum, copper and other non-ferrous, less-common and noble metals and enrichment of non-mineral materials.

– The development of dust protective activities within the territory of the processing enterprise and deposits aiming to prevent professional diseases and to improve work conditions in the deposits.

– The improvement of copper, aluminum, magnesium and other metals’ metallurgical technological procedures and development of a rational scheme for complex extraction of noble, less-common and scattered components from ore, concentrate and scrap.

Armenia, with its rich resources of metallic and non-metallic minerals, non-ferrous and noble metals, was a leading country in the former USSR. So in 1963 the institute became a part of the USSR State Metallurgical Committee. This fact makes for the necessity of the development of Armenian mining industry and non-ferrous metallurgy.

In 1967 the organizational structure of the institute was confirmed in accordance with the USSR Ministry of Non-ferrous metallurgy. Main departments were mining, processing and metallurgical which had eight specialized laboratories at their disposal. An experimental field for mining activities was created and an experimental department of the institute in Alaverdi was developed.

Geological, technical-economical and scientific-engineering research and patent servicing departments, as well as slop, gas and dust cleaning laboratories were created to ensure the efficiency and coverage of research implemented by the main departments.

The analytical part of the institute was presented by certain laboratories: central analytical, fire-assay sampling, spectral, X-ray photography and structural analytic, mineralogical and petrographic.

During its long history activities of the institute were enlarged and simultaneously the capacity of activities was increased. Some decrease was recorded in 90s which was due to the crisis in Armenian mining industry.

In 1994 the institute was registered by RA State register as “Research and Design Institute of Armenian Non-ferrous Metallurgy” (“Haygunmetgitsnakhagits”). Later on 02.02.1998 the mentioned state organization was reorganized as “Research and Design Institute of Armenian Non-ferrous Metallurgy” (“Haygunmetgitsnakhagits”) scjsc, and on 08.12.1999 was renamed as Lernametalurgiai Institute cjsc.

Many famous scientists and leading specialists in this sphere of industry have managed and cooperated with the institute.