Ruissalo is a popular event venue. In addition to large events, such as Ruisrock and Ruissalojuoksut, many groups and associations organise smaller events on Ruissalo, often related to outdoor activities and sports. Turku Ornithological Society regularly organises bird walks and springtime owl trips led by volunteer guides and open to everyone.
The Department of Biology of the University of Turku has been conducting ornithological research and ringing birds in Ruissalo since the end of the 1960s. Regular bird censuses are also conducted in Ruissalo by the University of Turku and City of Turku. Lately, researchers have surveyed, for example, dragonflies and hymenoptera in Ruissalo, and a dissertation was published on the endangered hermit beetle in 2018. In addition to the university, research projects have been carried out by the City of Turku and several groups and associations, such as Turku Ornithological Society (TLY), the Zoological and Botanical Society of Turku and Turun Sieniseura ry (Turku Mycological Society).
Culturohistorical research on Ruissalo is focused on the villa culture in the area but also the general history of Ruissalo, the earliest publications on which date all the way back to the 1940s.