The Desert Research Center (DRC) was established as a governmental organization whose activities are devoted primarily to research and development in the deserts and newly reclaimed regions of Egypt. it was established in 1939 under the name of the Desert Institute and was officially inaugurated in 1950. Its main responsibilities are to plan and execute research programs in collaboration with universities and other organizations to survey, explore and evaluate Egyptian desert land in order to select regions best suited for cultivation, as well as techniques for optimizing available resources.

In January 1950, the Center began issuing a biannual scientific periodical entitled 'The Bulletin of the Institute for desert of Fouad the first.' this title was later changed to " the Desert Institute Bulletin." During its early period the institute operated under several authorities and organizations including the Permanent Concil for National Production, the National Research Center, the General Agency for Desert Rehabilitation, the Ministry of scientific Research, the Ministry of Land Reclamation, and finally, the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation In 1990, a presidential decree established the Desert Research Center. It was then reorganized to contain four divisions: Water Resources and Desert Soils, Ecology and Dry Land Agriculture, Animal and Poultry Production, and Socioeconomic Studies. The Center has seventy laboratories together with a number of greenhouses, nurseries, and lysimeters. Its facilities include a tissue culture laboratory, a geographical information system (GIS) computer center, and a satellite receiving station. A number of experimental stations are also affiliated with the Center.