Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR India)

Funds India's broad science and industrial missions through national laboratories and applied technology programs.

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR India) is India's largest publicly funded R&D organisation. Founded in 1942 and supervised by the Ministry of Science and Technology, it runs 39 research laboratories and employs more than 14,000 people. Its core remit is research performance, not open competition funding.

Most of its annual budget, about INR 7,144 crore in FY2021-22, supports work inside its own institutes. The external-facing routes are narrow: the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize recognises exceptional scientists, and fellowships such as SRF, JRF, and the CSIR-UGC NET route support researchers at host institutions. That makes CSIR more of a national research system than a broad grantmaker.

For founders and outside teams, CSIR is mainly relevant as a scientific partner and credentials marker. The sectors in its orbit range from biotech and materials to energy, agritech, and medtech, but project funding for external applicants usually sits with DST or ANRF instead. That distinction matters because CSIR's budget and staffing are built around its laboratories, not a large open-call portfolio.