The first iteration of the society in 1996 was BABESOC, the Biotechnology and Bioprocessing Engineering Student Society, within the then UNSW Faculty of Life Sciences. After a faculty restructure in 2001, BABSOC was established to cater for a larger cohort of students undertaking study with the UNSW School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences (BABS).
Since then, BABSOC has been working to promote and foster a positive community involving BABS students and staff, external scientists, science-based industry and stakeholders involved in scientific discovery and commercialisation.