The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research was conceived and founded by the distinguished Indian Scientist Dr. Homi Bhabha in June 1945 with the active support of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Government of Bombay Presidency.  In 1962, the Institute shifted to its present picturesque campus at Colaba on the shores of the Arabian Sea.

At TIFR, research is carried out in frontline areas of all the fundamental sciences: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics and Physics, as well as in the field of Science Education.  TIFR Scientists are world leaders in several fields and their published contributions to scientific knowledge are internationally recognised.  Over the years, the Institute has developed many new areas of research as well as training programmes.

The faculty at TIFR is subdivided into three Schools: The School of Mathematics, The School of Natural Sciences and The School of Technology & Computer Science.  TIFR has three National Centres: the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bangalore, the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), Pune and the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), Mankhurd, Mumbai.  The School of Mathematics has a Centre for Applicable Mathematics (CAM) at Bangalore, focusing on applicable mathematics. 

In addition, the TIFR Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences (TCIS) has started at the second campus of TIFR on a 200 acre plot at Hyderabad.  TIFR's International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS) at Bangalore was started in 2007.  It is conceived to contribute to the growth of excellence in basic sciences, through conferences, interactions and cross-fertilization between disciplines. 

In May 2002, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research was accorded Deemed University status by the University Grants Commission.  Since then TIFR has started awarding its own Degrees. TIFR has also been accredited with an `A+' Grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) on 2nd December, 2016.