Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has approved the setting up of an Indian Institute of Science for Education and Research (IISER) at Pune and Kolkata, respectively. The Union Ministry for Human Resource Development has been authorized to fund both the institutes this year, so that they can become operational in 2006.

The Prime Minister gave his approval to a Charter prepared by a Committee of Experts, chaired by Dr C.N.R. Rao, here today.

The Charter envisages the creation of research universities of the "highest calibre", where teaching and education in basic sciences will be totally integrated with state-of-the-art research. Both under-graduate and post-graduate teaching will be offered to encourage research at a young age.

The institutes will be encouraged to offer inter-disciplinary programmes and forge active relationships with existing universities, colleges, laboratories, enterprises and institutions.

The approval was accorded at a meeting attended by Union Minister for Human Resource Development Mr Arjun Singh, Minister of State for Science and Technology, Mr Kapil Sibal, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Mr Prithviraj Chavan and Dr C.N.R. Rao, Chairman, Scientific Advisory Council to Prime Minister, besides senior officials.