Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) was established in 1979 at Anand, Gujarat with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC), the Government of India, Government of Gujarat, the erstwhile Indian Dairy Corporation and the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
It is situated about 36 kms. north of Vadodara and 65 kms south of Ahmedabad on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad main rail line and National Highway No. 8 connecting Ahmedabad and Mumbai. Adjacent to Anand is Vallabh Vidyanagar, the educational township and seat of Sardar Patel University.