Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, kolkata

What Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, kolkata does

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata (IISER Kolkata) is an autonomous public research and higher-education institution established in 2006 and operating under India's Ministry of Education, headquartered in Mohanpur, West Bengal. It functions as a degree-granting university delivering integrated and postgraduate programs — BS-MS, MS, MS by Research, Integrated PhD, PhD, and a recently introduced Part-time PhD — across eight academic departments spanning the basic sciences, and runs an interdisciplinary research portfolio that includes the Centre of Excellence in Space Sciences India (CESSI).

The institute's core academic "products" are its degree programs and its research output, the latter anchored by CESSI, an active synthetic-biology program that has won four consecutive iGEM Gold Medals, and faculty publishing in Nature Index–ranked venues. Admissions are routed through a national IISER Aptitude Test (IAT) and increasingly through India's Study in India portal for international applicants. Collaborative research is conducted with external partners, including a DBT/BBSRC-funded project with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on a Campylobacter vaccine.

IISER Kolkata's economic model is that of a publicly funded, non-trading statutory body: the bulk of operating capacity comes from Ministry of Education block grants and competitive extramural awards (DST, DBT, UKRI, etc.), supplemented by heavily subsidized tuition and hostel fees. Its mission-oriented customers are undergraduate and postgraduate science students seeking research-integrated training, and its strategic stakeholders are Indian federal science funding agencies and bilateral research partners.

Name

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, kolkata

Legal name

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata

Website

https://iiserkol.ac.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata is an autonomous public research university under India's Ministry of Education, offering integrated and postgraduate science programs across eight departments and conducting basic-sciences research funded primarily by government grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education and Research

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with National Laboratories/Big Science Facilities (EDAHAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Comprehensive Doctoral Research Universities (Multi-Disciplinary) (EDAHABAA), Dual/Joint Degree Programs (International) (EDAIABAD)

Keywords

• Higher education
• Science research
• Doctoral programs
• Undergraduate education
• Space sciences research

Headquarters

HQ city

Mohanpur

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Government Funding and Grants: As an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Education, Government of India, IISER Kolkata is primarily funded through central government allocations, research grants from funding agencies (DBT, DST, SERB, CSIR, UGC), and statutory body allocations.
2. Student Fees and Application Revenue: Revenue generated from student tuition fees, semester fees, and non-refundable application fees (INR 200 for GEN/EWS/OBC-NCL; INR 100 for PwD/SC/ST).
3. PhD Fellowships and Stipends: International students receive PhD fellowships: JRF (first two years) at Rs. 37,000/month and SRF (next three years) at Rs. 42,000/month, funded through government schemes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

IISER Kolkata is an autonomous government-funded research and education institute that integrates basic science education with research at undergraduate, doctoral, and postdoctoral levels. It offers degree programs including a 5-year BS-MS Dual Degree, Master of Science, MS by Research, Integrated PhD, full-time PhD, and part-time PhD across eight academic departments (Biological Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Computational and Data Sciences, Earth Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics, Physical Sciences, and Space Sciences), supplemented by a Summer Research Programme and the Center of Excellence in Space Sciences India (CESSI).

Product overview

IISER Kolkata is an autonomous research institute offering integrated science education from undergraduate through doctoral levels. The portfolio comprises: BS-MS Dual Degree Programme (5-year) including a specialized Computational and Data Sciences track; Master of Science Programme in Chemical Sciences, Chemical Biology, Sustainability Science, and Mathematics; MS by Research Programme in Biological Sciences and Space Physics; Integrated PhD Programme (2 years coursework + 4 years research); Full-time Doctor of Philosophy Programme across eight disciplines; Part-time PhD Programme for working professionals (7-year maximum tenure); and Summer Research Programme for undergraduate students. Research is supported by the Center of Excellence in Space Sciences India (CESSI). All programmes are delivered through seven academic departments and the CESSI center at the Mohanpur campus.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Inquivesta: Country's largest science festival hosted by IISER Kolkata, started in 2011
• E-Cell
• RISE Foundation

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked among top 10 research institutes in India (Nature Index 2024)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Dr. Amirul I. Mallick (Department of Biological Sciences) collaborates with LSHTM on an India-UK partnership grant to address farmed animal diseases and health (FADH). Jointly funded by Dept. of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India and BBSRC, UK. Research focuses on bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) for developing a new generation vaccine against Campylobacter jejuni.
• BactiVac Network, University of Birmingham, UKminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Dr. Amirul I. Mallick received Catalyst funding from BactiVac Network, University of Birmingham, UK for ongoing research on developing live vector-based mucosal vaccine strategy against Campylobacter jejuni.
• University of Saint-Etienne, FranceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Dr. Amirul I. Mallick received Scientific High-Level Visiting Fellowships (SSHN programme-2024) from the French Institute in India / Embassy of France for a research visit to University of Saint-Etienne, France, under existing research collaboration.
• Ministry of Education, Government of India (Study in India Programme)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational students can apply through the Study in India programme launched by the Ministry of Education, Government of India. IISER Kolkata participates in this government initiative for international student recruitment.
• Vanderbilt University (Kristopher Burkewitz's lab)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLab alumnus Suman Samanta (PhD Thesis, 2020-2026) moved to Kristopher Burkewitz's lab at Vanderbilt University as postdoctoral researcher.
• Heidelberg University Hospital (Matias Simons's lab)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLab alumnus Apurba Das (PhD Thesis, 2018-2026) moved to Matias Simons's lab at Heidelberg University Hospital as postdoctoral researcher.
• Thomas Jefferson University (Renato V. Lozzo's lab)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLab alumnus Dipon Kumar Mondal (PhD Thesis, 2014-2020) moved to Renato V. Lozzo's lab at Thomas Jefferson University as postdoctoral researcher.
• Buck Institute for Research on Ageing (Pankaj Kapahi's lab)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLab alumnus Sudipta Bar (PhD Thesis, 2012-2018) moved to Pankaj Kapahi's lab at Buck Institute for Research on Ageing as postdoctoral researcher.
• City University of New York (CUNY) - Hunter CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLab alumnus Dhiman Sankar Pal (PhD Thesis, 2012-2017) currently holds position as Assistant Professor at City University of New York (CUNY) – Hunter College.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IISER Mohali: IISER Mohali is a sister institution in the IISER system offering the same BS-MS, MS, and PhD programs under the Ministry of Education. Directly comparable in size, mandate, and admissions architecture; competes with IISER Kolkata for the same national pool of science aspirants.
• UM-DAE Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (CBS) Mumbai: UM-DAE CBS is another DAE-funded integrated MSc + research institution offering the same 5-year integrated program structure as IISER Kolkata. Direct peer in educational model and basic-sciences focus, although smaller in scale.
• National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) Bhubaneswar: NISER is a sister-concept research-education institution under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of India, with a parallel 5-year integrated MSc and research mandate. Conceptually and structurally near-identical to IISER Kolkata, with the same target student demographic and basic-sciences focus.
• Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore: IISc Bangalore is India's premier research-and-education institution and the explicit benchmark IISER Kolkata was designed to emulate ("designed to reach the prestigious position... that IISc, IIMs and IITs presently enjoy"). Both are multi-disciplinary doctoral research universities with significant government funding, comparable research output targets, and overlapping departmental structures.
• IISER Bhopal: IISER Bhopal is another IISER-system institution with the same BS-MS/MS/PhD structure and government funding model. Directly comparable in program portfolio and target student base; serves as a regional peer in central India.
• IISER Pune: IISER Pune is the flagship and oldest sister IISER, sharing identical institutional design — 5-year BS-MS, research-integrated curriculum, government funding under the IISER system, and multi-disciplinary science departments. Closest direct peer in structure, governance, and student offerings.

Regional players

• Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) Kolkata: ISI Kolkata is a Kolkata-based, government-of-India institution under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation offering undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs in statistics, mathematics, and computer science. Geographic peer with overlapping programs in Mathematics & Statistics and Computational & Data Sciences; competes locally for the same Kolkata-area talent pool.

Broad incumbents

• Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR): TIFR is one of India's most prestigious research institutions in basic sciences (mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry), funded by the Department of Atomic Energy. Overlaps with IISER Kolkata in core science PhD research, faculty quality, and international standing — though TIFR is graduate-only with no undergraduate program.
• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur: IIT Kharagpur is a legacy Indian research institution in the same geographic region (West Bengal) that competes with IISER Kolkata for top science students, offers PhD programs in basic sciences, and hosts comparable faculty strength. Functions as a broader incumbent whose prestige and scale overshadow IISER Kolkata in admissions and rankings.
• Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR): JNCASR is a Department of Science & Technology-supported research university offering integrated PhD and research programs across sciences. Comparable to IISER Kolkata in research intensity and government backing; competes for top-tier doctoral applicants in overlapping disciplines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iiserkol?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
• YouTubeyoutube.com/+IISERKolkata
• Facebookfacebook.com/www.iiserkol.ac.in
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/indian-institute-of-science-education-and-research-kolkata
• Instagraminstagram.com/iiserkinsta

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, kolkata