NCPOR was established in 1981 under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

The headquarters of NCPOR is located in Goa.

NCPOR's mission includes promoting polar and ocean research, conducting research on climate change, and developing technologies for polar and ocean exploration.

NCPOR's research areas include Arctic and Antarctic research, oceanography, and glaciology, but not astrophysics.

NCPOR's research vessel is named RV Polar Sea.

NCPOR led the First Indian Expedition to Antarctica in 1981.

NCPOR's research station in Antarctica is named Maitri.

NCPOR's major research programs include Arctic Climate Change and Variability, Southern Ocean Carbon Cycle, and Deep-Sea Biodiversity, but not Planetary Science.

NCPOR has produced over 2000 scientific publications since its inception.

NCPOR's major achievements include the discovery of new species in the deep sea, development of new technologies for polar and ocean exploration, and the first Indian expedition to the Arctic, but not the mapping of the entire Indian Ocean.

NCPOR's outreach program is named Polar Explorer.

NCPOR's partner institutions include the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, the National Institute of Oceanography, and the University of Goa, but not Harvard University.

NCPOR has around 200 employees.

NCPOR's annual budget is around ₹30 crore.

NCPOR's vision is to be a world-class centre for polar and ocean research, promote sustainable development in the polar regions, and protect the marine environment.