The center, located on 300 acres (1.2 km2) 2.5 miles west of the UC Davis campus, is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Scientists using the center's facilities produce numerous papers annually detailing their investigations into human health issues.
Through their Affiliate and Pilot Research program, CNPRC supports visiting scientists by providing access to facilities and equipment.
[citation needed] As with most federally funded research institutions, CNPRC provides educational outreach programs to the local community.
The center was cited by the USDA for AWA violations for failing to provide veterinary care to 19 monkeys who subsequently died between 2010 and 2009.
[2] Critics of the center — who have called for the laboratory to be closed— say that the animals are treated poorly, subjected to cruel experiments and that more than 2,000 monkeys are kept in small indoor cages for their entire lives.
[2] In May 2014, the USDA reported that a protocol for non-human primates contained an incomplete description of a surgical procedure to implant medical devices into the animals.
[13] In 2022, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) alleged that Neuralink and UC Davis had mistreated several monkeys, subjecting them to psychological distress, extreme suffering, and chronic infections due to surgeries.