Since the establishment of the Institute, scientific research has been one of the main fields of its activity. Since its foundation in 1926, the experts of the Central Veterinary Bacteriological Institute have also been involved in the education of livestock farmers and regularly gave lectures on livestock infections on Radio Station Belgrade.
During 1967 In 1971, the Republic Community for Scientific Work entered the Institute’s unit in the register of scientific institutions, and at the beginning of 1971 The Republic Secretariat for Education, Science and Culture with its act no. 04-022-159 recognized the Institute as a whole, the status of a scientific institution. Pursuant to the provisions of the Law on Scientific Research Activity, the Institute carried out the accreditation of scientific research work and was registered in the register of institutes as a research and development institute under serial number 110-00-34/58 from 03.12.2007.
The Board for Accreditation of Scientific Research Organizations issued Decision No. 640-01-1/48 dated 15.5.2012. by which the Institute was accredited as a research and development institute – an institution in the field of biotechnical sciences – veterinary medicine.
In November 2015 in accordance with the Rulebook on the evaluation of scientific research work and the accreditation procedure of institutes, integrated universities, faculties and centers of exceptional value (“Official Gazette of the RS”, no. 69/2015), the accreditation procedure was initiated and the fulfillment of the conditions for the accreditation of NIVS for carrying out scientific research activities of general interest. The Committee for Accreditation of Scientific Research Organizations is 08.03.2016. issued Decision no. 660-01-00013/28 by which the Institute was reaccredited as a research and development institute – institution in the field of biotechnical sciences – veterinary medicine.
The Scientific Council of the Institute is formed for questions of importance for scientific research work at the Institute. The Scientific Council is the professional body of the Institute, which consists of doctors of science in scientific or teaching positions who are employed full-time at the Institute. The Institute’s researchers have been working continuously since 1946. until today managed and participated in international projects and in more than 60 basic, technological, developmental and national research projects announced by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia.
As a result of the aforementioned projects, the development and introduction of new and modified diagnostic methods for infectious and parasitic diseases, the detection and primary isolation of infectious agents, the development of measures for the eradication, prevention and suppression of animal diseases, the elucidation of multi-causal neonatal diseases in farm animals, the development of vaccines, the development of health measures control etc. Significant results were achieved through the aforementioned projects, which were published in over 50 monographs and chapters in monographs, 3 atlases, 6 textbooks, 32 manuals and brochures, 14 pamphlets and several educational films. In the same period, more than 4000 papers were referred at international and national conferences and over 500 papers were published in international and national journals. Within these projects, a large number of doctorates, master’s degrees and specializations were defended.
The Institute’s library is a registered library within the library system of the “Svetozar Marković” University Library (No. 06-218/206 dated 24.11.1997). It has a collection of hundreds of books and magazines, as well as electronic magazines from the EBSCO database. Processing of the library collection is done in the BIBLIO Win ISIS program, which supports the ISO standards prescribed by IFLA.