IISER Mohali marks 20 years of scientific excellence, unveils new research and innovation initiatives: The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali is set to mark its 20th Foundation Day on Sunday (September 27, 2026), celebrating two decades of excellence in science education, cutting-edge research, innovation and scientific outreach.
While addressing a press conference at the Chandigarh Press Club on Thursday, Anil K. Tripathy, Director, IISER Mohali, said the Institute’s academic environment was designed to nurture scientific curiosity, critical thinking and research capabilities among young students while creating opportunities for advanced scientific inquiry.
IISER Mohali currently has around 1,800 students enrolled in its BS-MS programme and approximately 500 students pursuing PhD studies. Its faculty and students have contributed extensively to research in diverse scientific disciplines with the Institute building state-of-the-art research facilities and establishing collaborations with leading national and international institutions.
Over the past two decades, IISER Mohali has filed more than 45 patents, including seven international patents. Its faculty members and students have received several national and international recognitions while many faculty members serve on the editorial boards of reputed national and international scientific journals.
Driving innovation and entrepreneurship
A major focus of IISER Mohali in recent years has been the promotion of technology-based entrepreneurship through its Technology Business Incubator, i-RISE.
The incubator has supported more than 40 start-ups over the past three years with around 20 start-ups currently being incubated in sectors such as biotechnology, agritech, healthcare, waste management and Internet of Things (IoT). i-RISE has laboratories, office and meeting spaces and other infrastructure, including laboratory equipment worth around ₹2 crore.
The incubator has also undertaken initiatives to promote women-led entrepreneurship and currently provides incubation and funding support to 20 women-led technology start-ups. These start-ups have collectively filed 12 patents, of which nine have been granted.
The i-RISE TBI has recently secured ₹3.425 crore in new funding to strengthen technology commercialisation, start-up incubation and deep-tech entrepreneurship in the Chandigarh-Punjab region. This includes a ₹3 crore DBT-BIRAC BioNEST project, comprising ₹2.5 crore from BIRAC and ₹50 lakh from IISER Mohali, besides a ₹42.5 lakh grant under the Chandigarh Startup Policy 2025.
Researchers with wider societal relevant researches
Highlighting recent research, the Director said IISER Mohali was making significant contributions across biological sciences, chemistry, physics, quantum technology and climate science.
Dr Aanchal Panchal, under the group led by Dr Rhitoban Raychoudhury, in collaboration with Dr Ruchira Sen of Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, Chandigarh, studied how insects evolved sophisticated mechanisms to manage disease and competing organisms in their food-production systems. The research was published in Science.
Dr Ujjal Gautam and his team developed a novel approach to convert waste plastic into carbon particles that can harvest oxygen from air and use sunlight to drive chemical reactions. The work appeared in the Journal of the American Chemical Society and Carbon.
Prof Sanjeev Kumar in collaboration with scientists at DESY, Hamburg, and other institutions, has researched skyrmions—tiny magnetic structures with potential applications in future information storage and processing. The findings were published in Advanced Materials in 2026.
In quantum technology, Dr Sandeep K. Goyal is leading a National Quantum Mission-supported project to develop a multi-node quantum repeater network integrating quantum communication, memories and networking.
The Institute is also developing a high-resolution weather forecasting system for Punjab, led by Dr Raju Attada, providing forecasts at around three-kilometre resolution for up to three days and capturing local variations in weather conditions.
New initiatives
The Institute is in advanced discussions with the Asian Development Bank and the Ministry of Education for setting up a Research and Innovation Park focused on healthcare and MedTech on the campus.
As part of the 20th Foundation Day celebrations, IISER Mohali I launching a new scheme to provide financial support to students for translating innovative ideas into meaningful outcomes through translational research.
The Institute is also inaugurating an Innovation Lab, coordinated by Dr Satyajit Jena, to encourage hands-on experimentation, cross-disciplinary teamwork and practical innovation. The facility will provide students with access to tools, prototyping resources, mentors and a platform to develop ideas and prototypes, with potential pathways towards research, incubation and entrepreneurship.
Science outreach and public engagement will remain another important component of the Institute’s activities. IISER Mohali regularly organises science festivals, public lectures, educational visits, interactions with eminent scientists and science demonstrations, besides teacher-training and capacity-building programmes such as Vigyan Pratibha and Vigyan Jyoti.
The 20th Foundation Day celebrations will begin with an Open House for school students on Saturday providing young learners an opportunity to visit the campus and interact with faculty, researchers and students. Later, a symposium will also be held on Saturday bringing together heads of leading institutions from the region to explore opportunities for inter-institutional collaboration. Prof Shekhar Mande, President, Indian National Science Academy as the Chief Guest will deliver the Foundation Day Lecture on Sunday.
