The Institute for Social Studies and Research is the first and oldest institution of social sciences in Iran. Its founding charter was approved in Session No. 551 of the University of Tehran Council on April 14, 1958. Dr. Ehsan Naraqi served as its first president, and the institute was initially located at the Higher Teacher Training College (Dānesh-sarā-ye ‘Āli) in Baharestan Square. Its early activities focused on two main areas: education (at the master’s level) and research, alongside publishing authored and translated works in the field of social sciences. Prominent figures such as Jalal Al-e-Ahmad collaborated with the institute during certain periods. In 1972, following the expansion of the institute’s educational activities, the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Tehran emerged from the institute core. Dr. Hossein Imani Jajarmi currently serves as the institute’s Director.

From its inception, the Institute for Social Studies and Research defined its mission in alignment with development programs and contributing to their advancement. Today, the institute’s objectives include conducting applied and fundamental research in the social sciences at regional, provincial, national, and international levels; organizing specialized scientific conferences and meetings and hosting think tanks in the field of social sciences.

The institute’s Research Council is active, and its members, as per the charter, include the institute’s director, heads of research departments, the faculty dean, the faculty’s vice president for research, and the university’s vice president for research or their representative.

Aims of the Institute

  • Integrating theoretical dimensions of social sciences with practical research.

  • Providing social research services to governmental, non-governmental, and international organizations.

  • Conducting continuous social research on Iranian society, based on the experties of relevant departments.

  • Training interns to address staffing needs both within the institute and outside the university, as proposed by stakeholder organizations.