New Delhi: Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan chaired the 3rd Meeting of the Standing Committee of Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research ( IISER) in New Delhi today.
The Minister reviewed all 7 IISERs on their academic and research outputs and on their future plans. He suggested more student-focused approaches for unleashing the full potential of our talented youth as well as for engaging in outcome-centric research for facilitating ease-of-living and societal advancement.
The Minister informed that the Standing Committee also brainstormed on the roadmap ahead for achieving academic and research excellence, enriching student-experience and enhancing the core mission of providing world-class scientific education and research.
Pradhan stated that IISERs are jewels in the crown of higher education in India. He expressed his confidence that each of our IISER will establish a new culture of academic and research excellence, foster a new generation of scientists, innovators and entrepreneurs who will be equipped to address national and global scientific challenges and further enhance India’s knowledge prowess in the global arena.
Chaired the 3rd Meeting of the Standing Committee of Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research.
Reviewed all 7 IISERs on their academic and research outputs and on their future plans. Suggested for more student-focused approaches for unleashing the full potential of… pic.twitter.com/mTTSEqACN9
— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) January 13, 2026
The meeting was attended by several distinguished dignitaries, Prof. Anil D. Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, Executive Committee, NAAC and Chairman, NETF; Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar, former Chairman, UGC; Chamu Krishna Shastry, Chairman, Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti; Debjani Ghosh, Distinguished Fellow, NITI Aayog; Dr.Vineet Joshi, Secretary, Department of Higher Education; Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology; Dr. Shekhar C. Mande, former Secretary, DSIR; Prof. Govindan Rangarajan, Director, IISc Bengaluru; Chairpersons and Directors of IISERs; the Director, CSIR–CMERI, Durgapur; and senior officials of the Ministry of Education.
The Following were discussed during the meeting :
Academic Flexibility
The IISERs would implement a flexible, learner-centric higher education system through a Flexible Learning Entry and eXit framework (iFLEX) while preserving academic standards and the research-oriented character of IISER programmes. This would involve the option of multiple entry and multiple exit, re-entry and completion, permitting the students to undertake a one-semester experiential internship focused on research, innovation, industry or entrepreneurship, in lieu of a regular classroom semester, with academic credits assigned upon completion and evaluation.
PhD Reforms
The Directors of IISERs informed the Standing Committee that they would undertake an exhaustive study of their PhD programmes to identify the associated lacuna and challenges, the global landscape and best practices, etc., and suggest recommendations to overhaul the PhD programmes to align the courses with the requirements of the industries and the national priority missions.
Research and Innovation
IISERs reaffirmed their commitment to spur innovation and mould research toward societal relevance. Research Parks and Incubators would be established in each IISERs to co-locate academia, startups, industry R&D, and translational facilities for sustained innovation. One exclusive domain has been identified for each IISER, as tabulated hereunder. Centres of Excellence (CoE) would be set up in each IISER, with each IISER focussing on the domain assigned to them. These steps align with the broader mission of Viksit Bharat and Make In India by developing a knowledge-driven economy by leveraging innovation, human capital and sustainability, through indigenous technology development in various areas, such as those identified below.
IISER Pune – Advanced Computing (including Quantum)
IISER Kolkata- Biotechnology
IISER Mohali- Healthcare & Medtech
IISER Bhopal- Advanced Materials
IISER Thiruvananthapuram – Energy/Sustainability & Climate Change
IISER Tirupati – Agri & Food Technologies
IISER Berhampur – Rare-Earth & Critical Minerals
Establishment of Section 8 Company
Each IISER will establish its own Section 8 company to strategically propagate national and international priority research, bridge academic research potential with industry partners, attract philanthropic, CSR, government and private funding. The company would be steered by a Board comprising eminent academicians, corporate leaders, Technology Transfer Office (TTO) representatives, industrialists, innovation ecosystem stakeholders, etc. A Chief Executive Officer (CEO) shall be appointed as the operational head of the company and would be supported by a Secretariat consisting of experts in IP and technology transfer, regulatory affairs, funding liaison, and industry partnerships.
Attracting meritorious students
IISERs apprised the Standing Committee about their proposal for exploring the possibility of attracting meritorious students participating in International Olympiads by way of providing a quota for such students in IISER Admissions based on their performances in the Olympiads. Efforts would also be made to work towards introducing a sports quota for undergraduate admissions on the lines of IIT Madras and IIT Indore.
Lastly, the Standing Committee was also informed that the IISERs would take measures to support the students from Bharatiya Bhasha-medium background in their transition to the medium of instruction in IISERs.
The event ended with the release of the 5-year and 10-year Vision Statement of the IISERs and the signing of MoUs between Biotech Consortium India Limited (BCIL) and IISERs, as well as between IIT Madras and IISERs and IISc, Bengaluru and IISERs, to strengthen academic, research and innovation collaborations.