Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 17 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh on Thursday said with its unique and exclusive R&D activities, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST) has made a niche overall other centres of CSIR across India.

He also suggested that CSIR-NIIST draw a roadmap for the next 25 years with a major focus on the younger talent pool which also complements with Mission 2027 (Viksit Bharat).

CSIR-NIIST, which completed 50 years in October 2025, is a constituent laboratory under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ministry of Science and Technology.

Lauding the institute for its Golden Jubilee, the minister said it comes at a time when the Central government is celebrating science, innovation and start-ups on a grand scale.

“A strong collaboration among academia, research, start-ups and industry is vital to create innovation. Besides, we need to devise global strategies to set a benchmark for ourselves,” said Singh.

He also 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.

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.

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 the Kerala government, the institution became part of CSIR as the 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.

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