Marking its 150th anniversary, the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), one of India’s oldest and most prestigious scientific institutions, is set to expand its research footprint with the establishment of a second campus in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas.
The upcoming facility, to be built on a 33-acre plot at an estimated cost of Rs 800 crore, will be known as the ‘Syama Prasad Mookerjee Advanced Research and Training’ (SMART) campus.
According to IACS authorities, groundwork for the ambitious expansion has been underway for the past five to six years. The land acquisition process has already been completed, and if progress continues as planned, the Baruipur campus is expected to become operational within the next three years.
The SMART campus is envisioned as a state-of-the-art research hub equipped with high-tech laboratories and a dedicated science park. It will also feature modern hostel and residential facilities to accommodate students and researchers from India and abroad.
The institution plans to prioritise research in cutting-edge fields such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), antimicrobial resistance, health sciences, and battery technology— areas critical to addressing contemporary global challenges.
Currently, IACS operates from its main campus in Jadavpur, which spans around 9 acres and hosts approximately 1,000 students and researchers, most of whom are doctoral candidates. The new Baruipur facility is expected to significantly ease space constraints while doubling research capacity by accommodating an additional 1,000 scholars.
Founded in 1876 by Mahendralal Sircar in Bowbazar, Kolkata, the institution has played a pioneering role in India’s scientific advancement. It was later relocated to Jadavpur in 1950 through the efforts of Meghnad Saha, with land support from then Chief Minister Bidhan Chandra Roy.
IACS is also globally renowned as the site where CV Raman conducted his groundbreaking research, leading to the discovery of the Raman Effect in 1928—a milestone that earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930.
The institute has announced that its 150th-anniversary celebrations will continue until 2028, coinciding with the centenary of the Raman Effect’s discovery. The upcoming SMART campus in Baruipur is expected to stand as a major milestone in IACS’s legacy, strengthening India’s position in advanced scientific research.
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