The Chulabhorn Research Institute (CRI) was founded 1987 at the initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Prof. Dr. Chulabhorn Mahidol as a ‘Center of Excellence’ conducting research in organic-chemistry and environmental analysis. This project of Thai-German Technical Cooperation aimed to promote the CRI as an interdisciplinary research institute by providing laboratory equipment, offering further training to Thai personnel (at German universities and on-the-job) as well as by facilitating the exchange of Thai and German researchers. Special emphasis was on the laying the foundations for applied and interdisciplinary research in the fields of chemistry and environmental analysis, especially with regards to research on environmental products of plant and animal origin.
Today the Chulabhorn Research Institute conducts research on natural products as well as in the fields of chemistry, biomedicine, environmental toxicology and biotechnology.