Scientists like R A Mashelkar, director-general, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), are upbeat about the IISERs. “After Independence, there was a great deal of institution building with the setting up of IITs and IIMs. The IISERs are the next wave,” he said while inaugurating the institute in Pune.

In fact, three more IISERs have been proposed by the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, while one has been approved for Mohali.

TO provide world-class infrastructure and quality education, the Centre has sanctioned Rs 500 crore each for the two branches of IISER. Within the next 15 months, a 30,000 sq ft building will come up in a 100-acre campus next to the National Chemical Laboratory—where classes are being held currently—in Pune.

The Kolkata campus is to be based at Haringhata, in an area of 220 acres; classes are being conducted at the moment at the IIT-Kharagpur extension centre in Salt Lake. When fully commissioned, each IISER will house nearly 3,000 students and 200 in house faculty members.

Right now, though, students are more excited about attending classes in all disciplines for the first two years. In the beginning of the third year, they will be counseled on their specialisations, based on their interests and performance. “This way, they will have a strong foundation,” says K N Ganesh, director of IISER, Pune, and Bhatnagar awardee.

Sushanta Dattagupta, director of IISER, Kolkata, believes that the system of theoretical and laboratory teaching will inculcate the feel for research at a very young age. “The average age for a PhD in India is higher by two years compared to foreign universities. Our programme should help bridge this age gap,’’ he says.

... contd.