CSIR-NIIST has made a niche for all CSIR centres: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh
Minister for Science & Technology inaugurates Golden Jubilee celebrations of CSIR-NIIST
Trivandrum / October 17, 2024
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct. 17: With its unique and exclusive R&D activities, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST) here has made a niche for all other centres of CSIR across India, said Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh today.
Dr Singh was speaking at the inauguration of the year-long Golden Jubilee celebrations of CSIR-NIIST at its Pappanamcode campus in the city.
He also suggested that CSIR-NIIST draw a roadmap for the next 25 years with a major focus on younger talent pool which also complements with Mission 2027 (Viksit Bharat).
Dr C. Anandharamakrishnan, Director of CSIR-NIIST, presided over the function where Dr Sanjay Behari, Director, SCTIMST, was the Guest of Honour.
CSIR-NIIST, which completes 50 years of its existence in October 2025, is a constituent laboratory under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt. of India.
Lauding the institute for its Golden Jubilee, the minister said it comes at a time when the Central Government is celebrating science, innovation and startups on a grand scale.
“A strong collaboration among academia, research, startups and industry is vital to create innovation. Besides, we need to devise global strategies to set a benchmark for ourselves,” he noted.
On the occasion, Dr Singh laid the foundation stone for the Centre of Excellence in Ayurveda Research on the campus and also inaugurated the Centre of Excellence in Performance Chemicals and Sustainable Polymers. Both milestone initiatives mark the commencement of the year-long Golden Jubilee celebrations of the institute that has made significant contributions in the field of scientific research and development.
The Centre of Excellence in Ayurveda Research is envisaged as a premier facility for scientific validation, standardisation and global promotion of Ayurvedic products, making them compliant with international quality, safety and efficacy standards, considering the worldwide acceptance of the holistic Indian system of wellness.
The facility will support Ayush enterprises, including MSMEs, to strengthen their product portfolios, particularly in Ayurveda.
The Centre of Excellence in Performance Chemicals and Sustainable Polymers for Industrial Application aligns with India’s goal of becoming the world’s third largest economy by 2030, focusing on the need to strengthen R&D to reduce dependence on imports by fostering domestic production in chemical and polymer sectors.
As part of the celebrations, the Minister released CSIR-NIIST Golden Jubilee Year Book along with the Golden Jubilee Stamp. He also inaugurated the CSIR-NIIST Startup Expo held on the sidelines of the inaugural ceremony.
In his presentation on the remarkable achievements of CSIR-NIIST, Dr Anandharamakrishnan said currently, there are 10 incubatees at the institution and the mission is to set up 75-100 startups in 3-5 years.
“CSIR-NIIST offers quality infrastructure and state-of-the-art technologies, besides facilities for securing patents for inventions and scale up opportunities. Our mission in the next 25 years is to elevate this national establishment to a global institution,” he added.
MoUs for technology transfers by CSIR-NIIST with Bio Vastum Solutions, Ernakulam; Sree ChitraTirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST); Science and Technology Park, Pune; Greensapio Tech, Haryana; VSSC, Thiruvananthapuram; Tata Elxsi Limited, Bangalore; PA Footwear Private Limited, Chennai; and Ecosure Pulpmolding Technologies Ltd, Noida, UP, were also exchanged at the function.
Dr K V Radhakrishnan, Chief Scientist, CSIR-NIIST, and Dr P Nishy, Chief Scientist, CSIR-NIIST, also attended.
CSIR has a dynamic network of 37 national laboratories, 39 outreach centres, 1 Innovation Complex, and three units with a pan-India presence.
Established as the Industrial Testing and Research Laboratory under Government of Kerala, the institution became part of CSIR as Regional Research Laboratory (RRL) in 1975. It was renamed CSIR-NIIST in 2007, and since then has grown into a leading national institution with global visibility with the support of the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Also, CSIR-NIIST has been recognized for its contributions in areas such as spice & oilseeds processing, building materials, premium quality aluminium castings, processing and value addition of clays and minerals, organic photonic materials and environmental monitoring and remediation.
Ends
