The International Research Institute for Sustainable Operations (iRISO) was jointly initiated and established in December 2014 by the School of Management of Northwestern Polytechnical University, the Institute for Manufacturing of the University of Cambridge (UK), the Naveen Jindal School of Management of the University of Texas at Dallas (USA), and the Graduate School of Business of Doshisha University (Japan). Adopting a hybrid model combining "institutional membership" and "individual researcher fellowship", the institute brings together domestic and international experts and scholars in the fields of operations management and sustainable development to conduct international collaborative research on major theoretical and practical issues in sustainable operations management.

The mission of the institute is to become "a globally influential teaching and research base in the field of sustainable operations management, as well as a vital think tank providing decision support for the sustainable development of enterprises and regions".