The institute is a contemporary experimental and molecular medicine research unit organized under Division of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Diseases. This Institute is currently a venue of research groups and scientists that focus on translational research of strategic importance to several of the major clinical areas of Oslo University Hospital. We have strong research programs in cardiovascular, pulmonary, cancer, and stem cell research, as well as in tissue engineering and orthopedic research. The institute has a multidisciplinary staff of biochemists, molecular biologists, physiologists, physicists, and medical doctors.

Institute of Surgical Research has more than 50 years of history of experimental research. The institute has played major role in many innovations of great impact to the practice of medicine and surgery. Among these were the development of the Medtronic Hall aortic valve prosthesis, one of the most widely employed aortic valve prosthesis of the late 20^th century, the implementation of the Doppler principle to determine flow velocities (and thereby pressure gradients) across stenotic aortic valve outlets, and implementation of plasma pro-BNP levels as the first biochemical marker of heart failure.

Institute for Surgical Research also has state-of-the-art operating theaters with advanced scientific equipment for large animal research and currently serves as a regional technological core facility for large animal research, providing infrastructure and staff to help scientists from hospitals of South-Eastern Norway and University of Oslo conduct studies on large animals. The core facility is supported by South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authorities.

The institute supervises medical students enrolled in the research curriculum of University of Oslo School of Medicine, as well as master degree students and PhD students. The institute also recruits a number of fellows for postdoctoral training from all over the world. During the first 50 years, more than 160 PhD students from the Institute successfully defended their thesis for the PhD degree of University of Oslo.