Haffkine Institute is an autonomous Research Institute registered under the Societies Act in 1970 and grant-in-aid funded by the Govt. of Maharashtra.

The Institute is governed by a governing council and guided by a Research Advisory Council and an Academic Advisory Council.

During 1975, Haffkine Institute assumed the nature of a Public Trust. The objectives of Haffkine Institute have been decided in the Memorandum of Association of the Institute with special focus on the following three broad areas:

• Training
• Research
• Testing

Objectives of the society:

• To study, investigate, discover and improve the means of preventing and curing communicable diseases of man and animals
• To conduct research on such vital problems in the various medical and allied scientific fields which will lead to amelioration of human sufferings
• To provide instructions and education in preventive and curative medicine to medical officers of health department, medical practitioners, veterinary surgeons and research students and technicians in the public health field
• To examine clinical specimens for diagnosis of diseases
• To collaborate with other similar organizations for development of research and preparation of protective and curative medicines
• To sponsor research workers for specialized training elsewhere in India or abroad
• To advise and assist Government and other appropriate authorities in the matter of prevention and diagnosis of infectious diseases and also in all matters concerning Bacteriology
• To work as consulting and analytical chemist and pharmacologist and to undertake testing of drugs
• To undertake testing of Narcotics and other excised drugs for the Government of Maharashtra
• To publish scientific journals, bulletins, monographs pertaining to research in Medical and allied sciences
• To invest and deal with the funds of the society