The Oil Crops Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (OCRI-CAAS) was established in 1960, with rapeseed, peanut, soybean, and sesame and other special oil plants as mandate crops. The current research fields include crop germplasm, genetics and breeding, physiology and agronomy, soil and fertilizers, plant protection, functional genomics, genetic engineering and biosafety assessment of transgenic plants, nutrition and health, product processing, quality safety and industry strategy. The major missions of the institute are addressing key scientific and technological themes affecting oilseed industry and constructing the national strategical powerhouse for research and development of oil crops.

OCRI-CAAS has developed into an advanced institution in agricultural research and development worldwide. Currently, the institute has 12 teams consisting of two Academicians, 32 outstanding scientists and over 120 senior researchers. The institute has its headquarter at Wuchang and additional four sub-centers in different locations with ecological representativeness and complementary functions for oil crop research. The institute has established more than 30 national and provincial research laboratories or platforms with improved research facilities. OCRI-CAAS has carried out international cooperation with more than 60 countries and international organizations.

Up to date, OCRI-CAAS has been awarded with 23 national scientific prizes issued by the central government, 35 first class prizes issued by provincial or ministerial governments. The research achievements have strongly supported the historical three spans of oil crop production in China. In the New Era since 2012, twelve research achievements have been awarded as the first class prizes at the provincial or ministerial levels, among which, four have also been awarded with national scientific prizes for innovation of high oil rapeseed cultivars, innovation of aflatoxin testing technology in agriproducts, breeding for peanut resistance to aflatoxin, and processing of functional lipid products respectively. The available progress and improved capacity would pave the way to the fourth span of the oil crop production in China.