The Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research (CNESPR) is the first such research Centre on the North East to be set up in a Central University. It was established in 2009 as part of the MMAJ Academy of International Studies. The CNESPR became a full-fledged Centre of Learning under the Statute 22A(18) in 2012.

The vision of the Centre is to play the role of a leading research, teaching, and resource centre in North East India for the academic community, professionals and policy-makers on key issues before the region and its neighbourhood. The mission of the Centre is to promote teaching and research on frontier areas of academic discourse in North East India; to develop an inclusive knowledge repository; to facilitate interplay between field and policy; to promote the values of excellence, eco-friendly practices, diversity, integrity and gender sensitivity; and, to bridge the gap between the North East and the rest of India.

The Centre is committed to research on the key issues of gender and discrimination, peace and conflict, human rights, ethnicity and identity politics, migration and development, governance, tribal development and livelihood issues, environment and climate change, the North East and its peripheral areas and India’s Act East Policy. Research carried out at the CNESPR in several areas has generated publications of books, chapters in edited books, and journal articles. The Centre introduced its post-graduate (M.A.) Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) courses in 2015 and subsequently introduced its M.Phil./Ph.D. programme in December 2017.

The Centre seeks to achieve its objectives by regularly undertaking research and publications, organising workshops, seminars, lectures, cultural events and Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew Annual Lecture Series for extensive dissemination on a range of themes critical to the region. It has a diverse collection of over 2,500 books on the North East and research journals (including eminent social anthropologist, Prof. B. K. Roy Burman’s rich collection of books published on the region). Scholars and researchers widely consult the Centre’s Library from across the country and abroad.

The CNESPR has been consistently endowed with research and seminar grants from prominent funding agencies, both national and international. A few pertinent ones include the University Grants Commission, North Eastern Council, Indian Council of Social Science Research, National Commission for Women, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, National Book Trust of India, Indian Council of Historical Research, Oil India, Sahitya Academy, Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, Government of Sikkim, Heinrich Böll Stiftung. The Centre has been recognised as one of the Centres of Excellence by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs Government of India since 2020.

The Centre has been successfully executing the mandates of a Centre of Learning through its various academic programmes. It is continuously striving to expand its academic activities by adopting creative pedagogic measures in line with the New Education Policy 2020.