The Central Coir Research Institute is one of the prime research centres of Coir Board established in the year 1959 and implements all the S & T programs of Coir Board for the development of Coir Industry. CCRI is headed by Dr. Das Anita Ravindranath, Director, RDTE

The Research wing of the Coir Board was formed in 1955 in pursuance of the recommendations of the committee for Research and Statistics of the Coir Board. The Committee had suggested short term measures for initiating scientific research on problems of importance to the coir industry for immediate follow up and also establishment of a Central Coir Research Institute in the long term. Accordingly, nucleus of the Research Station was formed in September 1955, with the appointment of a Coir Technologist. Pending establishment of the Central Coir Research Institute, the initial research investigation under the Board were conducted at the Cotton Technology Research Laboratory, Mumbai and the Department of Chemical Technology, University of Mumbai, Mumbai. Simultaneously, action was pursued for acquisition of the land and organization of the laboratories for the Research Institute. A ten acre site was acquired in 1958 at Kalavoor,Alleppey about 8 km.north of the Alleppey Town(Kerala) on the Alleppey-Cherthalai National Highway 47(now NH 66). The Institute started functioning in 1959.