Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) were established as autonomous institutes for higher education by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India, to promote high quality education and research in basic science. The first two institutes, under this initiative, are IISER Kolkata (IISER-K) and IISER Pune in 2006, followed by IISER Mohali in 2007, and IISER Bhopal and IISER Thiruvananthapuram in 2008, IISER Tirupati in 2015 and IISER Berhampur in 2016. One of the major objectives has been to integrate quality teaching with curiosity needed for state-of-the-art research. Teaching and research have both been very important components in the growth of IISERs.

IISER-K has completed more than ten years of its existence and has established excellence in science in form of teaching, publications, both in terms of quality and quantity. Many under graduate students are also engaged in research as a part of their curriculum.