As a national bamboo and rattan research institution, ICBR carries out research in bio-resources preservation and cultivation as well as bamboo and rattan processing and utilization. Its five key research areas are biomass materials, genetic science, bio-chemistry, bamboo resource cultivation, ecology and green economy studies.

Since its establishment, ICBR has taken part in nearly 300 projects at provincial and national level. The Research and Demonstration on Crucial Manufacture Technology of Bamboo Engineering Materials and the Establishment and Application of Mechanical Characterization Technology System For Plant Cell Wall undertaken by ICBR research teams won the first and second prize of National Scientific and Technological Progress Award respectively; in 2013, ICBR successfully decoded the whole genome of bamboo and drafted the world’s first sketch map of the whole genome of Moso Bamboo; in 2018, ICBR decoded the whole genome data of two species of rattan and released the latest high precision moso bamboo genome data; in 2021, ICBR released the latest results of China's forest resource evaluation. Besides, research teams at ICBR have also successfully developed a high-performance bamboo-wood composite material for wind power blade and made great breakthroughs in terms of modern bamboo and wood structure construction technologies. Currently, there’re over 30 on-going research projects undertaken by ICBR under the key R&D plan in the 13th Five-year Plan Period.

ICBR is also actively involved in international cooperation and exchange, with over 20 bilateral agreements signed with international organizations like INBAR, the UNCCD Secretariat, and universities and scientific research institutions in Canada, the US, Germany and other countries.

ICBR has organized a series of high-profile international academic events and conferences, such as the International Convention of Society of Wood Science and Technology (SWST) in 2012 and the 1st World Bamboo and Rattan Congress (BARC) in 2018.

In 2016, the International Standardization Organization’s technical committee on bamboo and rattan (ISO/TC 296) was established and its secretariat hosted by ICBR. It has since published 5 ISO standards on bamboo and rattan, including ISO 21625 Terminology on Bamboo and Bamboo Products, which is both proposed and drafted by ICBR experts.

In the future, ICBR will keep striving to become one of the world top scientific research institutions on bamboo and rattan and playing an ever-important role in driving the rapid development of global bamboo and rattan industry, contributing to the green and sustainable development in China and worldwide.