The Shandong Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology was established in 1981 as a public welfare institution at the departmental level under the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism. In 2017, it was renamed the Shandong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology. In 2022, with the approval of the Office of Institutional Organization Commission of Shandong Province, the Shandong Archaeological Museum was officially inaugurated. The institute holds the qualification for leading archaeological excavation teams, as issued by the National Cultural Heritage Administration. Its primary responsibilities include the investigation, exploration, excavation, protection, and research of underground cultural relics across the province. It also oversees the protection, research, and utilization of grotto temples, the interpretation and dissemination of archaeological findings, and the promotion of archaeological science through exhibitions and educational activities.