The Kurdish Studies Research Institute was formally established in 2000 by the authority of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology. This research institute has three research groups: Kurdish Literature and Linguistics, Kurdish Cultural Studies and History and Kurdish Strategic Studies and Development. The main goal of the institute is to undertake research in the fields of Kurdish language, literature and culture and to represent their richness to the full extent. Furthermore, it recently became successful in offering a degree programme in Kurdish Language and Literature at undergraduate level and aims to introduce the subject at postgraduate levels also.

The numerous projects and conferences that have transpired at this institute serve the aforementioned objectives. Projects accomplished thus far include the publication of the University of Kurdistan Persian – Kurdish Dictionary, the quarterly Journal of Kurdish Literature, and many books related to Kurdish language and literature. In 2010, the First International Conference on Kurdish Literature took place at the Faculty of Literature and Humanities, UOK, organized by the institute which was followed by the First Conference on Ardalan Dynasty in 2011. This was followed by three commemoration ceremonies of Dr. Maheen Dokht Motamadi (2014), Ahmad Ghazi and Ahmad Sharifi (2015). In addition, regular training workshops are held by the institute and a valuable reference library with more than 7500 books in the field of Kurdish studies is open to interested researchers.