HURI was formally founded in 1973 by Omeljan Pritsak and other leading scholars in Ukrainian studies.

It functions as a focal point for undergraduate and graduate students, fellows, and professors and provides assistance with their research.

Prior to the establishment of HURI, its founders organized weekly seminars in Ukrainian studies.

[4] Under the guidance of Omeljan Pritsak at Harvard, the group's general goal was shaped into a vision for three endowed chairs in Ukrainian studies at a major university, along with a research institute to support and broaden the scholarship.

With the assistance of the Ukrainian Studies Fund, the Ukrainian studies program was established with three endowed professorships in the departments of History and Slavic Languages and Literatures at Harvard University, beginning on January 22, 1968, the 50th anniversary of Ukraine's first proclamation of independence.