Research Centre for Art & Design was established in 2003 and as a Department it became part of the Institute of Design and Visual Arts in 2012. The Research Centre has produced eminent PhD scholars in Fine Arts and has International Post-Doctoral fellows as part of its Doctoral team. There is a variety of experts in South Asian art, Islamic art and architecture, ancient civilizations, cultural heritage, and art in Pakistan. It plays a role in facilitating research activities of the Institute while promoting its research scholars to participate in conferences, seminars, group exhibitions at national and international level. The Centre offers MS and PhD Degree Programs in both theoretical and practical fields of Fine Arts. The MS Program allows student to opt specialization of their choice either in Art History or Studio Practice. Whereas, PhD program offers specializations in Islamic art, architecture, contemporary art in Pakistan, crafts, and cultural and ancient heritage of Pakistan. The research students are provided the facility of online search through JSTOR and HEC Digital Library. Studio Practitioners avail the facility of NHQ (Naseem Hafeez Qazi) Gallery by arranging solo and group exhibitions as well as artists Talks. Artists of renowned fame frequently visit as guest speakers and jurors to give feedback to MS and PhD Studio Practitioners.