The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal (IISER Bhopal) was set up by the Government of India in 2008. Its aim was to incorporate research in basic science at undergraduate and graduate level, with equal emphasis on higher education for research and education in science. As an autonomous institution, it awards its own degrees.
Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) were created in 2006 by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, to promote quality education and research in basic sciences. IISER Bhopal sits alongside those in Pune, Kolkata, Mohali, Trivandrum, Tirupati and Berhampur. IISER Bhopal is the largest of all of these.
The campus, which covers around 200 acres of land, is at Bhauri Village, in the Bhopal district of Madhya Pradesh, India. It prides itself on its green campus and sustainable environmental initiatives, from the solar power plant with zero investment on private partnership, to the lake for rain water harvesting and recharge wells for storm water recharging.
There are nine academic departments which are: physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, earth and environmental sciences, chemical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science, and the department of economic sciences. All offer bachelor of sciences, combined bachelor and master of sciences, combined MS-PhDs and PhDs.
There are around 1,580 students, 1,100 postgraduate students and 470 doctoral students. The student-run Students Activity Council (SAC), an extracurricular union of students, contains seven different activity councils: computing and networking council, cultural council, fine arts and literary council, science council, sports council, student development council, environmental and social initiative council.
