Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan chaired the third meeting of the Standing Committee of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER). In this meeting, the academic, research and innovation related work of IISER was reviewed and the future development roadmap was discussed. Dharmendra Pradhan said that IISERs are very important institutions for India's higher education and scientific research system. During this time it was decided that NITs would rebuild their courses on the basis of emerging technologies.
During the meeting, the Education Minister took stock of the academic and research output and future plans of the seven IISERs. He stressed on promoting result-oriented research by keeping students at the center, so that solutions that lead to social progress and make life easier can be developed through science and technology.
He expressed confidence that each IISER will develop a new culture of academic and research excellence and create a generation of scientists, innovators and entrepreneurs who will be able to meet national and global scientific challenges. The meeting also discussed the way forward to improve academic and research excellence, student experience and provide world-class scientific education.
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
It was informed in the meeting that IISERs will implement Flexible Learning Entry and Exit Framework (iFLEX) while maintaining the academic standards. Under this, multiple entry-exit, re-entry and experiential internships will be linked to academic credit, allowing students to pursue semesters focused on research, innovation, industry or entrepreneurship.
IISER directors told the committee that a comprehensive review of the PhD programs will be undertaken so that the courses can be better aligned with industry needs and national priorities. Research parks, incubators and centers of excellence (CoE) will be set up in every IISER. Each institution is assigned a specific domain.
Each IISER will set up its own Section-8 company, so that research can be linked with industry, CSR, philanthropy and government funding. It will be operated under the leadership of a board of experts and a CEO.
The possibility of providing special quota for admission to IISER for students who have excelled in international Olympiads was discussed. Along with this, efforts will also be made to introduce sports quota at the undergraduate level on the lines of IIT Madras and IIT Indore. Special measures will also be taken to assist students coming from Indian language-medium backgrounds during the change in the medium of instruction.
The meeting concluded with the release of IISER's 5-year and 10-year vision statements. On this occasion, MoUs were signed between Biotech Consortium India Limited (BCIL), IIT Madras, IISc Bengaluru and IISER to strengthen academic, research and innovation collaboration.
