Kolkata: The Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Kolkata – an autonomous institute under the dept of science and technology, govt of India – is set to have a second campus at Baruipur to ramp up its infrastructure for research facilities and double the number of students it grooms. The new campus that will be spread over a 33-acre land with an estimated investment of about Rs 400 crore will be named after the youngest vice-chancellor of the University of Calcutta, Syama Prasad Mookerjee, who was associated with the institute as a trustee member.The announcement of Syama Prasad Mookerjee Advanced Research and Training (SMART) Campus at Baruipur came from Kalobaran Maiti, director of IACS, Kolkata on Wednesday during the 150th year celebration of the institute, which was founded by Mahendra Lal Sircar, personal doctor of Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Rishi Bankim Chandra, in 1876 at 210 Bow Bazaar Street. The present campus at Jadavpur that became functional in 1950 was established by Meghnad Saha on the land given by former chief minister Bidhan Chandra Roy.State minister of IT, science and technology and biotechnology Kalyan Chakrabarti saidd that the govt will revamp the research institutes across the state. “We are living in an era driven by AI and new technologies are shaping up the society. I hope IACS, Kolkata will continue to remain at the forefront while grooming new generation of scientists,” he said.Maiti said, “Preparations for the upcoming campus have been underway in the past five or six years. The land is ready and we are awaiting approval from the dept of science and technology (DST). The new campus will also include a science park along with hostel and lodging facilities for students and faculties from outside. If things work out according to plan, we hope that the new campus will be ready in three years.”Sarbani Saha, registrar of the institute said, “We are building the second campus with the help of DST, govt of India and the state govt. This will enable us to establish advanced research infrastructure in line with the govt missions and train undergraduate and graduate students in advanced science. The campus is envisioned as a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to fostering innovation and scientific advancement in India and translate scientific discoveries toward social benefits.”The director said that once the new campus becomes functional, the institute will introduce new activities, including research works related to AI, antimicrobial resistance, health and battery. “Our present campus at Jadavpur, which is spread over about nine acres of land, has around 1,000 students, mostly doing PhD. The Baruipur campus will not only help us with an infrastructure boost but also enable us to add another 1,000 students. The students from other states can also join IACS to pursue their higher studies as we will also develop hostel facilities,” the director said.Down the sesquicentennial journey the IACS authority turned the spotlight on their achievements, including the discovery of the Raman Effect, for which Sir CV Raman had been conferred the Nobel Prize in 1930. They also paid tribute to Sircar who had founded the institute with a vision to develop scientific advancement in the country. His great great grandson Arun Kumar Sircar was felicitated at the event.“Our two-year-long celebrations start with the 150th year of IACS and will end with the centenary of the discovery of Nobel Prize winning Raman Effect in 2028,” said the registrar.
