The Instituto Nacional de Recursos Biológicos, I.P. (INRB, I. P). is a state laboratory which includes the former state laboratories Laboratório Nacional de Investigação Veterinária (LNIV) and Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e das Pescas (INIAP). Its mission is to pursuit research in the domain of biological resources. As such, its policies aim to protect and to add value to the Portuguese biological resources and to back-up Portuguese policies internally and towards the European Union.

INRB, I.P., intervenes in the following areas: 1) research, experimentation and demonstration activities in domains of science and technology, of agriculture, forestry, food and production, agro-forestry production, rural development and crop protection, as well as, food technologies and biotechnology, in order to support the definition of sectorial policies, implementing the scientific and technological bases and providing the technical support for the development and innovation within those domains; 2) research, experimentation and demonstration activities in “fisheries and resources of the sea” domains by giving scientific support to sectorial policies, implementing the scientific and technological bases and securing the technical support necessary to the development and innovation within these domains; 3) To participate in the conception and implementation of programmes of research, development and demonstration activities in domains of animal and public health, giving technical and laboratorial support to the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries, and securing the functions of a National Reference Laboratory in relation to animal diseases and the detection of contaminants in live animals, feeds and products of animal origin; 4) To cooperate with scientific and technological institutions with similar aims and to participate in national and international activities of science and technology, namely, through consortia, networks or other forms of conjunct work.

INRB,I.P. coordinates the Portuguese participation on FAO actions namely the ITPGRFA (International Treaty for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture), the activities of BIOVERSITY Center, such as European Regional Programmes on Genetic Resources (ECP/GR), and European Regional Programmes on Forest Genetic Resources (EUFORGEN), and is the National representative at the International Institute of High Agricultural Mediterranean Studies  (CIHEAM).

The Institute also integrates several international Organizations and Networks, such as: International Council for the Exploitation of the Sea (ICES), North Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), Scientific Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF), the European Aquaculture Platform (EATP), the European Fisheries Aquaculture Research Organisation (EFARO), the European Aquaculture Platform (EATP), the Ibero-American Network of Microbian Biofertilisers for Agriculture and Environment (BIOFAG),  the Agricultural Research for Development (ARD); Dimension of the European Research Area (ERA), European Soil Bureau Network; European Flu Reference Labs Network (FLU-LAB-NET), Global Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (GEOHAB), Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC), International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS), EraNet on Marine Science (MARIFISH), Network of excellence of Prion Diseases (NEUROPRION), among others.

INRB,I.P. is also involved in germplasm testing networks including CGIAR Centers (CIMMYT, ICARDA and ICRISAT), CLIMA (Center for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture), EBC (European Brewery Convention), Fundación Ibercebadas and Vavilov Institute, and leads the national networks for germplasm testing involving farmers and industry associations. A sample of clients is given: PIONNER Hibred, Agrigenese, Lusosem, Fertiprado, Sulsem, Alta (France), PRO.SE.ME (Spain) seed companies.