The research programmes of the institute are pursued mainly in the area of animal health. However, research on livestock production, technology and basic science groups are directed to support animal health programmes. The mandated areas of research activities of the institute are as follows:

1. Animal Health
2. Animal Genetic Resources
3. Livestock Improvement
4. Livestock Products Technology
5. Basic and Social Sciences

In order to ensure interdisciplinary approach, the programmes are not demarcated by disciplinary boundaries. The programmes are inter-linked, backed by an essential feed back from scientists and end- users following bottom-up approach.

The existing disciplines have been strengthened further for solving the problems of national importance through strategic, adaptive and participatory research in animal health, production and products technology, besides producing quality manpower in veterinary and animal sciences.

Animal Health

IVRI by tradition is a research institute of higher learning with emphasis on the problems of Animal Health. The Divisions/Centre related to animal health research includes:

1. Bacteriology and Mycology
2. Biological Products
3. Centre for Animal Disease Research and Diagnosis (includes Epidemiology Section; reorganized as per 3rd QRT recommendation)
4. Pharmacology and Toxicology
5. Standardization of Biological Products
6. Animal Biotechnology (includes Immunology Section; reorganized as per 3rd QRT recommendation)
7. Veterinary Medicine
8. Veterinary Parasitology
9. Veterinary Pathology
10. Veterinary Public Health
11. Veterinary Surgery
12. Veterinary Virology

Development of newer vaccines and immunodiagnostics, epidemiology of diseases, indigenous drugs and their therapeutic use, solving animal disease problems through immunology and biology, surgical management and treatment of emerging diseases, quality control of veterinary biologicals, development of various animal health models and microbiological and residue analysis for quality assessment of livestock products are some of the major activities of these divisions.

Animal Production

Adequate emphasis has been laid on various aspects of animal production. The divisions under animal production group are:

1. Animal Genetics
2. Animal Nutrition
3. Animal Reproduction
4. Physiology and Climatology
5. Division of Temperate Animal Husbandry

Research activities in the field of animal production started with the major aim of improving/ evolving suitable breeds of domestic animals for better productivity along with other ancillary studies in the fields of genetics and breeding, nutrition, physiology and reproduction. However, with the emergence of species-specific institutes on buffalo, goat, sheep, camel, equine, poultry, yak and mithun under ICAR to take care of production and reproduction aspects, the research at IVRI is mostly confined to health oriented production aspects in livestock.

With the establishment of National Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology (NIANP) at Bangalore, the role of Animal Nutrition Division at IVRI has been restructured. Animal Nutrition Divi¬sion at IVRI has close linkages with NIANP to implement programmes of common interest avoiding duplication of research activities.

Livestock Products Technology

The Division of LPT was established during IVth five year plan with the objectives to conduct basic and applied research on various aspects of livestock products and by-products with special emphasis on the development of technical know-how suitable under Indian conditions.

The Division of LPT plays a unique role in the development of meat industry in the country. With the emerging new opportunities in the meat sector in the post GATT scenario, the Division of LPT acts as a nodal agency in catalyzing the growth of the processed meat sector. Though the Division deserves to be conferred the status of Centre of Advanced Studies on Meat Science, subsequent to the establishment of the National Research Centre on Meat at Hyderabad, the LPT Division has a major emphasis on post-graduate education for developing human resources besides undertaking research for value addition of meat in selected areas.

Basic and Social Sciences

The following research divisions are involved in this group:

1. Livestock Economics, Statistics and Information Technology
2. Extension Education
3. Biochemistry

To ascertain whether specific livestock production systems represent feasible and beneficial forms of use of land, labour and capital, the research on livestock economics & statistics and extension education was initiated. The post graduate programmes in these areas at IVRI are exclusive. This specialization vis-a-vis the animal husbandry sector has a well defined role in the agrarian economy of the country and considering the vast potential for higher growth rate and contribution to agricultural and national GDP by this sector. The importance of Biochemistry in veterinary research was recognized as far back as 1909 for better animal production and health. A separate Section of Biochemistry was created in 1971 in the Division of Physiology and Pharmacology which later developed into a full fledged Division of Biochemistry to conduct research and P.G. teaching in animal biochemistry, besides establishing broad foundation in biochemical principles. As biochemistry is an intrinsic discipline to biological sciences, the scientists in the Division participate in research on all aspects of animal health and production.

All India Co-ordinated Research Projects

An AICRP centre on Pigs and Network Programmes on Bluetongue, Haemorrhagic Septicaemia, and Gastrointestinal Parasitism are located at IVRI. In addition to the existing three network projects, three new Outreach Programmes on Ethnoveterinary medicine, Monitoring of drug residues and environmental pollutants, and Zoonotic diseases were sanctioned and initiated during the 11th five year plan.