In the 1980s Ivanov worked with Tamaz Gamkrelidze on a new theory of Indo-European migrations, which was most recently advocated by them in Indo-European and Indo-Europeans (1995).
A partir de 1980 comeza a traballar con Tamaz Gamkrelidze nunha nova teoría das migracións indoeuropeas, pola que posteriormente avogaron no seu libro Indo-European and Indo-Europeans (1995).