NEW DELHI: The Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) have set an ambitious target of increasing their total student strength to 21,000 across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes by 2030, as part of a comprehensive roadmap submitted to the Ministry of Education.
The plan also places strong emphasis on encouraging the intake of international students and offering scholarships to enable them to pursue their studies in India.
India’s seven IISERs are located in Pune, Kolkata, Mohali, Bhopal, Thiruvananthapuram, Tirupati and Berhampur. The institutes have recently submitted their future roadmaps, Vision 2030 and Vision 2035, to the Ministry.
This newspaper was given exclusive access to the documents.
The five-year roadmap states that one Centre of Excellence (COE) will be set up in each IISER, aligned with contemporary and emerging areas of research. Advanced computing, rare earth and critical materials, energy, sustainability and climate change, and agri and food technologies are among the topics identified so far.
“These COEs will enable IISERs to take on greater roles in national mission-mode projects that typically require multi-institutional, collaborative efforts to deliver the desired result in a time-bound manner,” the document said.
A key goal is to establish parallel academic streams to train interested students to evolve into excellent faculty members and researchers, the Vision 2030 document states.
“By 2030, all these institutions will develop a plan for a joint international campus which will be subsequently developed over the next few years,” it said.
Enhancing the national and international standing of the IISERs is another priority, with the aim that all seven institutions figure among the top 100 in the National Institutional Ranking Framework.
The document states: “To increase collaborations across IISERs, at least two joint degree programmes that span across all IISERs will be instituted by 2030. Degree programmes with other leading universities both in India and abroad will also be instituted.” Incubators and research parks have also been proposed within the next five years.
The 10-year Vision plan envisages setting up extension centres and additional campuses for each IISER in the respective cities and States where they are located.
The proposed international campus under the 2030 plan is to be realised by 2035. Seamless entry and exit options and the launch of joint degree programmes are to be completed within this period.
Full-fledged medical sciences programmes are to be established by 2035. “Pairing hospitals with learning institutions can lead to substantial social and economic windfalls,” the document said.
“The incubators and research parks envisioned in the five-year plan will enable IISERs to focus on translating the scientific research done in their labs into products and wealth primarily through start-ups funded through a viable model evolved collectively,” it added.