The Icelandic Heart Association was founded in 1964. The IHA Research Institute began in 1967 a very broad epidemiological research project, the Reykjavik Study, where the focus was on identifying the main risk factors in cardiovascular diseases in Iceland. This research has been ongoing for over 40 years now and has involved more than 30,000 Icelanders. It has included a large number of new research projects, which have become the basis for expertise in Iceland on the main risk factors behind cardiovascular disease.