Federal Human Resources Development Minister Smriti Irani yesterday opened the new campus of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) here.
The IISER Trivandrum, which opened in 2008, was until now functioning from the College of Engineering Trivandrum campus.
The new campus is spread over 200 acres in Vithura village near the Ponmudi hill station.
IISERs are a group of premier science education and research institutes in India. Currently, there are five IISERs, others being in Bhopal, Kolkata, Mohali and Pune.
This is a major institution of national importance coming up in the area, identified as the higher education hub of the state, after Indian Institute of Space Technology (IIST).
The permanent campus of the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, which has 154 engineering colleges affiliated to it, is also being set up there.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy was the chief guest of the inaugural function.
The physics and biology blocks and additional hostel facilities for 500 students are expected to be ready next year and all academic activities will be shifted to the permanent campus from the ‘transit campus’ in the academic year 2016-17.
Even though the first phase of construction commenced in March 2011, the work was delayed by the contractor.
The three-storey chemical science block has three common instrumentation laboratories, 28 research labs, six teaching labs, one computer lab, 12 classrooms, 33 faculty rooms, a seminar hall, and a landscaped court.
The Central Public Works Department has now been entrusted with the second phase of the construction and campus development at an estimated cost of Rs3.8bn. During the last three years, three batches of BS-MS students (114 students) have passed out of IISER-Thiruvananthapuram.