The Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) --the premier industrial R&D organization in India was constituted in 1942 by a resolution of the then Central Legislative Assembly. It is an autonomous body registered under the Registration of Societies Act of 1860.CSIR aims to provide industrial competitiveness, social welfare, strong S&T base for strategic sectors and advancement of fundamental knowledge.

The Strategic Road Map designed for CSIR as it stepped into the new Millennium envisaged:

• Re-engineering the organisational structure;
• Linking research to marketspace;
• Mobilising and Optimising the resource base;
• Creating an enabling infrastructure; and
• Investing in high quality science that will be the harbinger of future technologies.

Interestingly , the Government of India has also announced a new Science and Technology Policy 2003 in the early years of the new century. It  presents  Science and Technology with a human face and emphasizes realities such as facing open, global competition; need for examining social, economic and environmental consequences of S&T; and, aggressive international benchmarking and innovation. It advocates strong support for basic research. It emphasizes manpower build-up and retention as important challenges. It advocates dynamism in S&T governance, through the participation of scientists and technologies.

Today CSIR is recognised as one of the world’s largest publicly funded R&D organisations having linkages to academia, R&D organisations and industry. CSIR’s 37 laboratories not only knit India into a giant network that impacts and add quality to the life of each and every Indian but CSIR is also party to the prestigious Global Research Alliance with the objective of applying global knowledge pool for global good through global funding. CSIR’s R&D portfolio embraces areas as diverse as Aerospace, Biotechnology, Chemicals…indeed, almost the ABC-Z of Indian Science!

Welcome to the World of CSIR