The National Veterinary Research Institute was established in 1945 as a scientific unit of the Ministry of Agriculture. The major mission of the Institute is applied research in veterinary medicine, particularly concentrating on the diagnosis and prophylaxis of infectious diseases of animals, hygiene and toxicology of food of animal origin and feeds. Additionally, the Institute runs postgraduate training and professional specialisation, evaluates the quality of biologicals and provides the expertise and consultancy service for the veterinary administration. The Institute acts as the National Reference Laboratory responsible for the diagnosis of infectious diseases of animals, surveillance of epidemiological situation in the country, and monitoring of xenobiotics in food of animal origin and in feeding stuffs. The Institute is authorised to confer the degrees of doctor of science (ScD) and doctor of philosophy (PhD) in veterinary sciences.