ICGR, founded in 1978, is a national research center on crop genetic resources with its major emphasis on applied basic research. Functions of the Institute are to collect, conserve, characterize, evaluate, document, enhance and utilize crop germplasm resources throughout the country. Mandates of the Institute are shown as follows:

1. to make the plan for the national cooperative program on crop germplasm resources and to take the responsibility of organizing its implementation.
2. to coordinate and participate the activities of seed propagation, and characterization and evaluation for the agronomic characters, grain quality, stress resistance, and disease and pest resistance of staple food crop germplasm resources and to select excellent germplasm to be of service for crop breeding, biotechnological study or agricultural production.
3. to take charge of nationwide long-term conservation, viability monitoring and regeneration of crop genetic resources.
4. to process the germplasm introduction and international exchange with foreign countries.
5. to organize and participate the nationwide germplasm exploration and collection and the research activities on the origin, taxonomy and ecology of crops.
6. to fulfill the management and service of national database of crop germplasm resources.
7. to undertake the collection, compilation and publication of scientific literature on crop germplasm resources and to perform academic exchange activities.

The Institute has 12 laboratories including Rice, Wheat, Corn, Sorghum and Millet, Food Legumes, Stress Resistance Evaluation, Disease and Pest Resistance Evaluation, Germplasm Conservation, Quality Analysis, Exploration and Collection, Germplasm Introduction and Exchange, Information Management and Special Germplasm Conservation.

There are 253 staff in the Institute by by now,70 of whom are senior scientists and 77 of whom are assistant researchers. The Institute possesses the National Genebank and the National Introduced Germplasm Testing and Quarantine Base as well as modern facilities for crop germplasm analysis.