The Institute's Memorandum of Association has identified the perspectives that should guide research in different areas: These are:

(a) The areas of investigation should be such as would promote interdisciplinary research;
(b) The themes of research should be those for which the initial facilities required are not too costly;
(c) The areas identified should have deep human significance;
(d) The principal areas should be those in which scholars of eminence can be attracted in the initial stages, both for the purposes of developing the methodological framework for interdisciplinary research and for ensuring an acceptable quality in output that will encourage extension of such efforts to more areas in future; provided that in selecting the projects, attention should be given to areas of national relevance and whatever possible, appropriate consultations should be held with Government Departments, Research Organizations etc., in determining them. Each of these projects should, however, be for a specified period and under no circumstances, the period of such projects should be extended. At the end of each of these projects, there should be a publication, setting out the results.