The earliest indigenous research institution to be constituted in Laos was the Lao Literary Committee, founded in 1948 and presided over between 1952 and 1970 by leading academic Pierre Somchine Nginn, son of François Nginn who had participated in the 1892 mission of first French Vice Consul Auguste Pavie. During this period the Committee published a wide range of Lao literature which was hitherto unavailable to the general public.

In 1970 the Lao Literary Committee was replaced by the Royal Academy of Laos, which was established by Royal Ordinance, once more under the presidency of Pierre Somchine Nginn. Between 1970 and 1975 the Academy published a Lao grammar, a new Lao dictionary (with standardised vocabulary) and several more literary classics, issued the monthly Lao Literary Review and launched the Bulletin des Amis du Royaume Lao.

Following an eight-year hiatus after 1975 a National Institute of Art and Literature was established in 1983 to co-ordinate research activities in the cultural field. This institution was transferred to the National Committee of Social Science in 1987 and finally incorporated with departmental status into the Ministry of Information and Culture as the Institute of Cultural Research (ICR) in 1993. The Institute is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Lao culture and is active in various fields of research, including folklore and custom, ethnomusicology, language and literature, crafts and textile art, scenic art, architecture and monuments and antiquities. Comprising some 30 staff members and 18 researchers, it is assisted by overseas governments which have contributed funds and various essential items of equipment. The Institute incorporates eight divisions - Administration, Literature, Linguistics, Tradition and Beliefs, Music and Performing Arts, Fine Arts and Handicrafts, History and Lao Civilisation - plus a Documentation Centre (comprising a Library of books and AV materials), a Video Suite with an extensive videotape library of ethnic Lao music and dance, and a Lao Textiles Laboratory.

In 1999 the Institute of Linguistic Research (ILR), formerly a division of the Institute of Cultural Research (ICR), was established as a separate institution under the Ministry of Information and Culture. Its functions include: (i) research on Lao and ethnic minority language and writing systems; (ii) surveying and collecting data on the languages spoken in the Lao PDR for use in linguistic research; (iii) disseminating information in the form of books, journals, photographs, videotapes and exhibitions, (iv) co-ordination with schools and other academic institutions on matters of curriculum and research; (v) co-ordination with the National University of Laos (NUOL) on the training of linguists; (vi) improvement in the quality of the Institute by increasing awareness of Lao and ethnic minority languages; and (vii) co-ordination with universities and academic institutions overseas. Its current research activities are currently focused on how to protect the purity of the Lao language from the threat posed by Thai and on the languages of the ethnic minorities.

Subject to funding the Institute publishes the Language and Life Journal every six months.

Created following the signing of co-operative convention between the Ministry of Information and Culture in 1993, the École Française d’extrême-orient (EFEO), Laos undertakes research into the Buddhist texts (manuscripts, inscriptions) which represent the religious traditions of Laos, through the Fonds d'édition des manuscrits Lao (FEML) project, set up by former representative François Bizot. Apart from this primary emphasis, EFEO Vientiane also undertakes research into Lao ethnology, history, art history and archaeology.

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