The need for a single body to represent the growing number of physicists in the country was felt by many since the early sixties. Although most physicists in the universities were member of the UK Institute of Physics, the majority of physicists, especially teachers and those in the research and service sectors, were not. The first interim committee met in Kuala Lumpur in 1971. The Institute's constitution was later formally approved and the Institut Fizik Malaysia was thus established in 1973 with an initial membership of 35. Although the growth of the institute was initially slow, by 2009 the number of members exceeded 1200, reflecting the continuing acceptance and support of the institute by the country's physics community.