To improve the quality of diabetes health care provided in India and other developing countries, IDRF has been established with the following objectives:

1. To carry out basic and applied research in Diabetes.
2. To establish, provide, maintain and conduct or assist research laboratories and institutions for scientific research in Diabetes.
3. To disseminate the research findings by publications for the health care providers and lay public.
4. To train health care providers including doctors and other diabetes health care providers to improve the quality of diabetes health care in India and other developing countries.
5. To promote, develop and improve scientific exchange of knowledge as well as technical co-operation between similar research institutions.
6. To conduct conferences, refresher courses, lectures, seminars, demonstrations and exhibitions on diabetes health care.
7. To associate and collaborate with international and national research institutions, to promote diabetes research.
8. To provide, award, institute fellowship or scholarships, stipends, remuneration and/or other similar payments to students and research scholars to facilitate their undertaking scientific research in the areas of concerned interest to the Society.
9. To promote and participate in global and national diabetes health care initiatives.
10. To be an apex institution in providing evidence based solutions to the health policy makers and health administrators in formulating and implementing diabetes health care delivery systems.