The Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) was established on 29 July 1876 by Dr. Mahendralal Sircar (1833-1904), a medical practitioner and philanthropist, with the aim of promoting high-quality research in the basic sciences and fostering scientific education in India.
It was India’s first national institution dedicated to scientific research by Indians.
It was conceived as a solely native and purely national institution, supported initially by public contributions, and became a hub for students and researchers from across India.
Among the most celebrated scientists associated with the IACS was C.V. Raman, whose pioneering work transformed modern physics.
Soon after joining the Accountant General’s Office in Calcutta in 1907, the place piqued his interest and for the next ten years, Raman maintained an extraordinary routine. He dedicated his early mornings and evenings to work at the IACS laboratory, while spending his days as a government officer.
His remarkable commitment lasted until 1917, when he left the Finance Department to take up the Palit Professorship of Physics at the University of Calcutta. Even after that, the IACS continued to be the main place for his experimental work.
In the laboratories of IACS, Raman made his most famous discovery—the Raman effect—which he revealed to the world on February 28, 1928. This groundbreaking work earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930, making him the first Asian scientist to receive the award in the sciences.
The institute is located in Jadavpur, South Kolkata, and is currently developing a state-of-the-art SMART campus at Baruipur to enhance multidisciplinary research.