The research centre came into being in 1983 with the opening of the Robert Wicks Research Station in Inglewood in southern Queensland. While initially part of the Rural Lands Protection Board, the vertebrate pest research unit was soon incorporated into the former Queensland Department of Lands. The unit's profile was increased significantly with the adoption of a two-centre model and the renaming into Robert Wicks Pest Animal Research Centre (RWPARC) in 1996. Since then, the main office is located in Tor Street, Toowoomba and specialist facilities for pest animal research continue to be provided at the centre's second site in Inglewood. In 2007, the research centre became part of the newly formed Biosecurity Queensland, now part of the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI).

• Agrarian
• Animal health
• Art Research