The M. P. Birla Institute of Fundamental Research, is a natural and applied sciences research institute[3] and society headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
[1] The institute is involved in research in conjunction with the Birla Planetarium, also located in Kolkata,[3] which is one of the world's largest planetariums.
[4] The institute has conducted courses in astrobiology for undergraduate students, in which certificates of completion are awarded after course completion.
[2] The institute has a branch in Bangalore, India devoted to astronomy and astrophysics.
[1] The Bangalore location is recognized by Bangalore University as a research center to conduct research programs for Ph.D. degrees in physics specializing in astrophysics under Bangalore University's jurisdiction.