The CSIR
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), established in 1942 is an autonomous society registered under the registration of societies act, 1860. The organization is headed by the Prime Minister of India. An ensemble of 37 state-of-the-art institutes, today CSIR is amongst the foremost scientific and industrial research organizations in the world. The annual budgetary support of CSIR is around Rs. 2,000 Crore with revenues of about Rs. 350 Crore from external sources. Over the years, this unique organization has served as a springboard for scientific and technological activities in a wide variety of S&T domains. It has helped India usher in a scientific milieu, in creating and nurturing talent in science, innovation and technology.
CSIR’s mission “to provide scientific and industrial research & development that maximizes the economic, environmental and societal benefits for the people of India” encompasses every area which can be imagined dealing in scientific approach. CSIR’s R&D portfolio embraces areas as diverse as biological sciences, engineering sciences including aerospace, chemical sciences, information sciences, leather & environmental sciences and physical & earth sciences [www.csir.res.in].
The 37 institutes of CSIR are spread all over India. Besides the CSIR head quarters, they are:
AMPRI (www.ampri.res.in) |
IICT (www.iictindia.org) |
CBRI (www.cbri.org.in) |
IIIM (www.rrljammu.org) |
CCMB (www.ccmb.res.in) |
IIP (www.iip.res.in) |
CDRI (www.cdriindia.org) |
IMMT (www.immt.res.in) |
CECRI (www.cecri.res.in) |
IMTECH (www.imtech.res.in) |
CEERI (www.ceeri.res.in) |
IITR (www.iitrindia.org) |
CFTRI (www.cftri.com) |
NAL (www.nal.res.in) |
CGCRI (www.cgcri.res.in) |
NBRI (www.nbri-lko.org) |
CIMAP (www.cimap.res.in) |
NCL (www.ncl-india.org) |
CIMFR (www.cmriindia.nic.in) |
NEERI (www.neeri.res.in) |
CLRI (www.clri.org) |
NEIST (www.rrljorhat.res.in) |
CMERI (www.cmeri.res.in) |
NGRI (www.ngri.org.in) |
CRRI (www.crridom.gov.in) |
NIO (www.nio.org) |
CSIO (www.csio.res.in) |
NIIST (w3rrlt.csir.res.in) |
CSMCRI (www.csmcri.org) |
NISCAIR (www.niscair.res.in) |
IGIB (www.igib.res.in) |
NISTADS (www.nistads.res.in) |
IHBT (www.ihbt.res.in) |
NML (www.nmlindia.org) |
IICB (www.iicb.res.in) |
NPL (www.nplindia.org) |
| SERC (www.sercm.org) | |
Today CSIR is recognized as one of the world’s largest publicly funded R&D organizations having linkage with academia, R&D organizations and industry. Over the last decade, CSIR has partnered with more than 5,000 industries in India and abroad which include Indian companies like ONGC, CIPLA, Ranbaxy laboratories, RIL, Tata motors etc. and Boeing Corp, Alcoa, Du Pont, FMC Corp, General Electric of US origin.
Manpower
CSIR has a stock of highly specialized scientists, engineers and technologists in diverse disciplines of science and technology in the country. CSIR expertise and experience is embodied in its 4,600 scientists and 8,000 scientific and technical support personnel. Apart from this it supports 7,000 research scholars at any given time for doctoral research in S&T throughout the country. CSIR is the single largest global source of expert manpower for leather, food processing, instrumentation and mechatronics with internationally recognized training courses.
Fig-1: Research fellowships/Associated Awarded
Publications & IPR
The major achievements of a scientific research organization are primarily reflected in its research publications and the intellectual property rights it holds. The research papers emanating from CSIR’s laboratories are noted for their quality with average impact factor/paper showing an upward trend in the recent years with nearly 4,000 papers in 2007 having an average impact factor/paper of 2.04.
Fig 2: CSIR’s Global Science Presence
CSIR is also involved in providing linkages of communication to the scientific community through its research journals. There are around 17 research journals and two abstracting journals emanating from CSIR. It even publishes comprehensive state-of-the-art reports on specified subjects for the benefit of research scientists and academicians and has brought out as many as 60 science books.
In the field of IPR, CSIR’s track record is enviable. As per WIPO Report 2007, among global public funded R&D organizations CSIR ranks eighth in PCT filing (98). CSIR has been placed strategically on the world map by capturing about 50-60 percent share of total US patents granted to Indians excluding foreign assignees during last several years. In India, CSIR tops the list of patent filers at IPO. It currently holds a sizeable portfolio of about 1,800 foreign patents and about 1,500 Indian patents.
CSIR’s Intellectual property management:
Fig 3: Patents Filed & Patents Granted
Fig 4: Patents in Force
The encouraging aspect of having so many patents in diverse fields is not only that they endow huge revenue to CSIR but in a way create CSIR’s supremacy in that particular field. This can be attributed to the fact that the patent thus granted carves a niche resulting in a hold in that specific area. This claim deters others to encroach upon, hence establishing a footing. This strategic deterrence makes CSIR an inseparable part of the technology or product thus patented. Moreover other than this it also regulates infringement, like the example of turmeric where CSIR challenged US patent and won the battle. CSIR has been a pioneer and basically has set an international trend to challenge patents on traditional knowledge.
Major achievements of CSIR:
Inventions: Development of indelible ink, baby food from buffalo milk, tractor (Swaraj & Sonalika), pioneered DNA fingerprinting, anti-malarial drugs, technology for early detection of diseases, transgenic crop plants, energy foods, leather bio-processing, aircrafts (Hansa & SARAS), energy saving buildings & wealth of India to name some.
- Open Source Drug Discovery (OSDD): A model similar to open source models in Information technology, it is an initiative to provide a global platform where the best minds can collaborate and collectively find solutions associated with discovering novel therapies for tropical diseases like tubercularia.
- CSIR 800: A project which aims at bringing solutions to 800 million people in the country in the areas of agriculture, energy and health.
- New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI): This model was initiated to support R&D programmes in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode. It seeks to build, capture and retain for India a leadership position by synergizing the best competencies of public funded R&D institutions, academia and private industry.
- Rural development: Rural development through inducting and infusing S&T based innovations in rural life has been a vital mission for CSIR. Such S&T solutions covers a wide range of technologies from mechanized agriculture, new cultivation techniques, water purification techniques, low cost housing and traditional ceramic products utilizing locale-specific endowments etc. to name some.
- Disaster management: CSIR has always been the first one to help the disaster affected victims of any calamity may it be a cyclone, earthquake, tsunami or floods. Examples can be quoted of the devastating Tsunami in year 2004 or of floods in Bihar, where CSIR undertook the largest production of instant food through its R&D lab and provided 55 tonnes of food and also made available sweet drinking water through reverse osmosis and electrodialysis techniques; and extended support through large scale geo-engineering experiments.
- Drug development: But for technologies from the CSIR the once costliest drugs could not have become the globally cheapest; consistently working on affordable life saving drug development for the poor at a global level, the CSIR has developed several processes and knowhow. It is worth mentioning that eleven out of the fourteen new drugs developed in India are from CSIR. Some of them are anti malarial drugs –– Elubaquine & Arteether, technology for oral insulin and hepatitis B vaccine, anti-HIV cocktail etc.
- Capacity & capability building: With its large pool of scientists and technicians, CSIR has been facilitating knowledge access and training to various fractions of society, may it be to people in remote areas or to the industry. It is contributing to national development by providing open access to industry and academia (non CSIR labs) to conduct research in its laboratories. It is also involved in disseminating technologies, thus developed, on to rural masses.
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