The Institute was established with the objective of carrying out research with focus (a) on social, cultural, economic and political/administrative developments in Asia from the middle of the 19th century onwards with special emphasis on their links with India, and (b) on the life and works of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Till date, the emphasis had been on specialising on modern and contemporary affairs in South Asia, Central Asia and West Asia, and carrying on area studies on the five Central Asian Republics of the former Soviet Union (Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan), Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Institute has now started to widen its area of study to the Northeast region of India, and neighbouring countries like Myanmar, Thailand, Bangladesh, Japan, China, Sri Lanka, Maldives, etc.

Also in 1993, a 1 acre (approx) plot of land, Salt Lake City, Sector-III, Kolkata was provided to the Institute by the Govt. of West Bengal on lease for a period of 99 years for construction of the Institute’s own building.

Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma, the then President of India, laid the Foundation Stone during March 1993 for the building. Due to administrative reasons, the plot could be registered only in 1997. However all efforts are being made to complete the building by December, 2007.