National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Islamabad established in 1984, is the largest research centre of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC). NARC, with a total land area of approximately 1400 acres, is located near RawalLake, six kilometers south-east of Islamabad. Physical facilities in term of experimental fields, laboratories, green houses, gene bank, library/ documentation, auditorium, machinery & lab equipment repair workshops, stores, hostels, cafeteria, audio visual studios, are also available at NARC.
NARC coordinated programmes serve as a common platform for the scientists working in different federal, provincial agricultural research, and academic institutions to jointly plan their research activities, avoiding unnecessary duplication of research efforts. Research which can best be addressed at a national centre rather than by provincial institutions is undertaken at NARC. The adaptation of technologies available from the international research system is also managed by NARC, in collaboration with the provincial research and extension institutions. In particular, research requiring sophisticated instruments like electron microscopes, ultracentrifuges, and elaborate analytical and quality testing facilities is undertaken at NARC, supported by highly qualified and trained manpower.