Institute of Advanced Research is a private research-oriented university at Koba in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Its institutional development began with the Puri Foundation for Education in India, a charitable trust supported by industrialist Professor Nathu Ram Puri. The foundation stone for the proposed research institution was laid in 2003, and the first major academic-research unit, the School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, was established in 2006. The institute was formally inaugurated in April 2006 by President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. IAR began as a research institute rather than a conventional teaching college. Gujarat later granted it university status under the Gujarat Private Universities Amendment Act, 2011. Degree teaching expanded after the statutory transition, with professionally focused undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes added across sciences, engineering, computing, business and related areas. Research remains a defining feature of the university. The institution highlights externally funded scientific work, publication in international journals, undergraduate research participation and startup-oriented projects. Its campus on the Sabarmati River in Gandhinagar was developed to support laboratories, teaching and research within a relatively compact university environment. IAR's history therefore follows a distinctive pathway: foundation as a research-focused institution, formal inauguration in 2006, university recognition in 2011 and subsequent expansion into degree education without abandoning its original emphasis on research and innovation. The university is supported by the Puri Foundation for Education in India and operates on a not-for-profit basis. Its research culture includes student participation from the undergraduate level as well as doctoral work. The institutional project began under the Puri Foundation for Education in India. The first Centre of Excellence in biological sciences and biotechnology was established in 2006. President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam formally inaugurated the institute in April 2006. Research is supported through national agencies, industry projects and publication activity.