Scottish Church College on Tuesday opened a centre equipped with advanced research instruments that will be used by science students pursuing a four-year undergraduate programme.

The centre has been developed by the department of science and technology (DST) under the Union ministry of education.

Principal Madhumanjari Mandal said that although the four-year undergraduate programme, launched last year by the University Grants Commission (UGC), emphasises research work from the graduation level, the college cannot afford to develop the research facilities on its own.

“Therefore, we approached the department in September last year appealing for funds to develop the centre,” the principal said.

Eight advanced instruments will be provided by the DST for five years, said Upendra Nath Nandy, a teacher of physics.

Instruments include a fluorescence spectrophotometer that is used to investigate molecular and atomic interactions by examining the fluorescence emitted from a sample and real-time RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction) is a sensitive and fast test used for detecting the presence of specific genetic materials within a sample.

“Out of the eight, two instruments have arrived,” Nandy said.

Out of the ₹1.02 crore project, the college will bear 25 per cent of the cost and the rest by the DST, principal Mandal said.

The college last year started a fundraising drive so it could convert its Ogilvie Hostel building into an academic block to overcome the shortage of space for classrooms and laboratories following the introduction of the four-year undergraduate programme.