The main objectives of the institute were to present and promote the Iranian intellectual and philosophical heritage of the Islamic and pre-Islamic ears at national and international levels, to improve the presentation of Eastern and Western intellectual traditions to Iranian and the abroad, and to make the necessary preparations for comparative study of different philosophical traditions.

He then taught comparative religion at the Humanities Department at Sharif University and left Iran just before the revolution in 1979.

He has also served as assistant editor of Encyclopædia Iranica and is currently professor of Religious Studies at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Several renowned thinkers such as the late Jalal-ed-Din Homaei (1900-1980), Mahmoud Shahabi (1901-1986), Abbas Zaryab (1919-1995), and Yahya Mahdavi (1908-2000) were among the members of Board of Trustees of the institute.

The institute received the authorization of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology for establishing six new research departments: Western Philosophy, Islamic Philosophy, Science Studies, Religion and Mysticism, Logics and Kalam.