The Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research was founded in 1948 in Zagreb. The members of the Institute are experts in a variety of disciplines, such as: ethnology, cultural anthropology, folklore studies, literary theory, theatre studies, music studies, choreology, and art history. They are engaged in interdisciplinary research into historical and contemporary cultural phenomena and processes.

The Institute has a rich library and collection of ethnographic materials, where a number of manuscript collections, audio and video recordings, photographs and films are held. The Institute also publishes the Nova etnografija series, as well as the academic journal Narodna Umjetnost. The Director of the Institute is Ivan Lozica, the President of the Research Council is Tvrtko Zebec, and the Secretary of the Institute is Sanja Lesić.