Following the approval of the Ministry of Health (MoH) in 1993, Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center (ICRC) was established with the aim of performing research on cardiovascular diseases (CVD) primary, secondary prevention and health promotion.

In 2003, ICRC became a World Health Organization (WHO) collaborating center for research and training in CVD prevention, management and control as well as rehabilitation of cardiac patients in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. In 2011, the center was promoted to an institute (ICRI) by the MoH.

The main fields of research in ICRI are public health, clinical and basic sciences. The institute has performed, and is currently performing, numerous large-scale community-based preventive programs, cohort studies, CVD registry, and randomized clinical trials at local or international levels. The institute offers PhD, fellowship, clinical scientist, and sabbatical research programs. The National Cardiovascular Network Secretariat is located in ICRI since its establishment in 2011.

The superior pole of research institute the prevention and control of cardiovascular diseases in the Middle East, such that documents and reports provided by this institute are cited by international communities. Cardiovascular Research Institute focuses its efforts on the use of available technology to conduct community-based and biomedical research and to help with transferring the results to useful and practical outcomes.

This Institute also considers helping academic and research centers and other health service providers in implementing programs for the prevention, control, and treatment of cardiovascular diseases and their related risk factors. Through its activities, this center promotes community health, and creates health policies and related decision-making by applying reliable research findings.