The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal (IISER Bhopal) was established on 20 February 2008 by the Ministry of Education, Govt. of India (then the Ministry of Human Resource Development). IISER Bhopal aspires to achieve excellence in teaching and scientific research. The institute is steadfast in its commitment to creating an atmosphere that nurtures innovation, creativity, and excellence among its students. It is amongst the seven IISERs that are Institutes of National Importance, created through a proclamation of the Ministry of Education (then Ministry of Human Resource Development), Government of India, to promote quality education and research in science and allied areas.
The institute is governed by the NITSER (Amendment) Act, 2017 and the Statutes of IISERs. The first academic session of IISER Bhopal began on 16 August 2008. IISER Bhopal’s sprawling 200-acre campus is located in Bhauri at Bhopal Bypass Road. The campus offers excellent world-class infrastructure for all-round development of the students enrolled in its various academic programs that include the 5-year Bachelor of Science-Master of Science (BSMS), 4-year Bachelor of Science (in Engineering or Economics departments), 2-year Master of Science (in Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Mathematics), Integrated PhD program (in Physics and Mathematics), and PhD program (in all the ten departments). The disciplines covered at IISER Bhopal include biological sciences, chemistry, physics, mathematics, earth and environmental sciences, data science and engineering, electrical engineering and computer science, chemical engineering, humanities and social sciences, and economic sciences. A two-year MA program inLiberal Artswill start from the next academic year, 2025-2026.
IISER Bhopal is committed to nurturing curiosity and enabling students with the necessary skills to become leaders in their chosen fields. Students at IISER Bhopal work on cutting-edge interdisciplinary problems that bring together the best minds in science, engineering, and humanities. The institute’s academic programs align well with the National Education Policy (NEP 2020) in spirit and philosophy. Our world-class faculty together with our bright students, who are amongst the best minds in the nation, have carved a niche for themselves in this short span of time. Together, we are building an Institute of Excellence that is becoming a pride of the nation by churning out new knowledge, innovative technologies and high-quality researchers.
Looking ahead, in alignment with the institute’s motto, Vidya Amṛutaṃ Asnute (Knowledge bestows immortality), IISER Bhopal will continue to illuminate the world with its academic brilliance, shaping the future by producing the next generation of research leaders and innovators, dedicated to serving not only the nation but the entire world.
OUR GLOBAL PRESENCE
IISER Bhopal has been ranked 4th in the academic category as per the rankings released recently by the Nature Index annual table 2023. Also, IISER Bhopal has acquired top position among all IISERs in the country in overall category and is ranked 6th in the overall category based on the Nature Index data. IISER Bhopal has secured 60th place in the NIRF Ranking 2023 and is at Overall Rank 351-400, South Asia Rank 90, and India Rank 55 in 2024 of the QS Asia Ranking 2024. IISER Bhopal secured 64th overall out of 77 Indian Institutions/ Universities in the top 1500 global rank 1201-1500 in the Times Higher Education 2024 world ranking.
OUR STRENGTHS AND INCLUSIVENESS
At this moment we have a total of ~160 faculty members in the ten (10) academic departments. So far, ~ 1600 students have graduated from IISER Bhopal and most of them have been well placed in different corners of the world, bringing glory to the institute. A number of the alumni are currently employed as faculty members at prestigious institutes such as the IITs, NITs, Central Universities, and others premier research institutes.
Currently, around 2500 students are enrolled in the BS, BSMS, PhD and Integrated PhD programs, of which more than 37% are female. The institute has a stellar record of publishing 3086 research papers, securing 226 R&D Project Grants and hosting 42 Fellowships, NPDFs, INSPIRE Faculties so far. IISER Bhopal is continuously contributing towards capacity building in science and engineering education.
FOSTERING RESEARCH EXCELLENCE
The institute is home to state-of-the-art laboratories and research facilities that support cutting-edge scientific inquiry. The institute had a rich and diverse research portfolio of more than Rs 130 Crores in the form of sponsored research as well as industrial consultancy projects in FY 2023-24. Our major funders include SERB (now ANRF), DST, DBT, MoE, CSIR, MoEFCC, India Alliance, and ICMR. The institute envisions executing projects in collaboration with industries on the strategic fields of affordable healthcare, agriculture, rural development, and socially relevant areas. Currently, IISER Bhopal is a node in central India for research and testing facilities. The institute houses world class analytical instrumentation and other advanced research facilities.
The Central Instrumentation Facility (CIF) at IISER Bhopal houses 400, 500, and 700 MHz NMR, MALDI, UPLC, LRMS, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, BET, DSC, TGA, AFM, XRD, Rheometer, VSM, ITC, Confocal Microscope, EPR. DLS and other equipment for research and testing. The facility is open to all researchers. Industries in the country can get their samples analyzed at IISER Bhopal upon payment of reasonable charges. In addition to the institute website, IISER Bhopal R&D infrastructure is also listed on the I-STEM website, an initiative by the Government of India. The institute library is a unique knowledge center offering access to essential and specialized information resources and other services to meet growing information needs, both for cutting-edge research. The library has a total of 15,000 print books in its collection. The library provides access to 6500+ e-journals/ e-databases on various subjects. In the research output, we have registered a steady growth in the research publications, and in the last year, we have published a total number of ~420 research papers.
In addition to the publications, many important innovations with high societal value have been made at IISER Bhopal. For example, a group of researchers in the electrical engineering and computer sciences department developed a smart air quality monitoring system ‘Pawamaan’. The researchers bagged second position for their invention at the Environmental Sensing Project Competition (2022) organized by the University of Helsinki, Finland. Another research group from the same department designed a sign language translator which has been selected at the IEEE CASS Student Design Contest for R10 Regional level. This innovation may act as a strong bridge for communication with disabled people as the device follows Indian sign language gestures and translates them into a readable LED based text in real-time. In another innovation in the healthcare sector, we have developed a prototype of an automated wheelchair for patients without speech abilities. IISER Bhopal researchers havealso developed an autonomous cleaning boat to clean the water bodies. The group successfully demonstrated the device application in Bhopal city’s lower lake.
PROMOTING ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Alongside publishing highly impactful scientific articles that have advanced human knowledge in diverse fields, we are witnessing an exponential growth in translating new knowledge to human welfare through filing of patent applications. Of the 47 patents filed, 25 have been granted. It is noteworthy that 30 of those applications were submitted in the last four years alone.
The Innovation and Incubation Center for Entrepreneurship (IICE) has been established as a Technology Business Incubator (TBI) at IISER Bhopal and has been supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), under NIDHI TBI Scheme. With an aim to create “Impactful, Innovative and Successful Enterprises” towards making India a developed nation, IICE has been instrumental in creating an innovation ecosystem in IISER Bhopal as well as in central India. IICE is presently supporting 14 start-ups and is having a pipeline of incubates working in frontier areas of science and technology like Med-Tech, Health-Tech, Skin Care, AI/ML, Semiconductors, Biotechnology, Diagnostics, Animal Biotech, Simulation technologies, etc. IICE has prepared for strong expansion and a roadmap to power science-driven economic growth of India to contribute towards the vision of Viksit Bharat.
OUTREACH: BRINGING YOUNG MINDS ON BOARD
IISER Bhopal is committed to inspiring young minds and fostering a culture of scientific inquiry and scientific temperamong the broader community. The Centre for Science and Society (CS2) at IISER Bhopal organizes various outreach programs such as an open house, science fairs, workshops, and lectures in vernacular languages aimed at school students, teachers, and the general public. The Teaching Learning Centre (TLC) at IISER Bhopal was established with funding support from the Malaviya Mission-Teacher Training Programmes scheme of the Ministry of Education (MoE). The TLC encourages a variety of pedagogies in both instruction and learning. In order to facilitate active, cooperative learning, we have also constructed contemporary classrooms with technology at the centre. We also organize institute talks, which are open to the public. Some of India’s top scientists, such as Dr N Kalaiselvi, Director General of CSIR, Prof Abhay Karandikar, Secretary of DST, Prof Anand Ranganathan, School of Molecular Medicine, JNU, Prof V K Saraswat, Niti Ayog, have given lectures at the institute during the past few months.
THE WAY FORWARD
IISER Bhopal aspires to expand and enrich its infrastructure further in the near future to cater to the growing needs of our young and aspirational country. We target to reach out further to the community through augmenting the infrastructure on the campus. For example, we are in the process of establishing a world-class research center for solar power and renewable energy.The proposed center will foster multidisciplinary research in electrical and allied engineering sciences and to achieve the national objective of reducing carbon footprint and increasing the green energy capacity. The center will also aim to enhance solar cell capacity, grid line efficacy, loss minimization, and promote other renewable energy avenues. With all of its present efforts, IISER Bhopal hopes to soon become India’s first net-zero carbon emission campus. Further, IISER Bhopal plans to establish an Animal Biosafety Level III Lab (ABSL III lab) and a Cyro-EM facility to undertake research in developing novel vaccines and therapeutics.
In terms of academic and residential infrastructure for our ever-growing student community, there are plans to build another lecture hall complex, a new academic building with world class amenities, expanding residential infrastructure by developing a new 1,050-seater hostel for accommodating the students as the institute plans to achieve a total student strength of more than 3,600 by the academic year 2028-2029. We are also building a new health center with all modern medical equipment and facilities. Notably, IISER Bhopal has followed the Ministry of Education’s guidelines to increase the undergraduate student intake gradually. Starting from this academic year (2024-2025), we have increased our student intake by around 25%. The institute intends to create a wellness centre and a health centre with all the amenities for our community. This will allow students and staff to enjoy the best of campus life while working in a stress-free atmosphere to develop their ability and potential.
