The Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB) is a unit of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. It was established on January 1, 1935 as the Indian Institute of Medical Research, the name by which the institute was known till 1956. The avowed objective of the institute was the advancement of the state of human knowledge related to the basic aspect of the causation and prevention of diseases of special concern for our country especially tropical diseases and also nutritional biochemistry and physiology. In 1956 the institute came under the umbrella of the CSIR. Today , by its mandate IICB is engaged in research on diseases and certain biological problems of global interest.

History

A convention of scientists and technologies of West Bengal was held on 29 April 1986 in the auditorium of Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB), Kolkata to consider the question of forming an Academy of Science in West Bengal. Out of prolonged discussion, the house decided to form such an Academy and constituted an ad-hoc committee, with Professor Sushil Kumar Mukherjee as the Chairman, to take necessary steps to give effect to this decision in a general meeting on 20 January 1989 in the auditorium of IICB, the formation of the Academy (WAST) with 136 Founder Fellows. The first elected Council of the Academy, with Prof. S.K. Mukherjee as President, Prof. S.C. Pakrashi and Prof. R.K. Poddar as Vice-Presidents, met on 24 August 1989 to elect office-bearers. The Academy then was registered as a Society (S/65001 to 1990-91). A new Academy entitled "West Bengal Academy of Science & Technology" was thus born.