CSIR Gives Cutting Edge Tech with Eye on Future

Hyderabad: "Science should focus on carbon capture utilisation and pollution control measures. The CSIR is trying to come up with smog towers that can capture and manage carbon dioxide. But for a country this big, technology could take some time to make an impact,” asked Dr N. Kalaiselvi, director-general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) said. CSIR was also working on the technologies that can improve green mobility, she said.

Talking to Deccan Chronicle, Dr Kalaiselvi said, “For instance, we are working on supercapacitors for sustainable aviation fuel. We have converted used cooked oil into a sustainable aviation fuel. This year's Republic Day parade had two aircraft in the flypast fuelled by converted used cooking oil.”

“We have industry collaborations in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu to commercialise this technology. As to road transportation, the CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, in collaboration with KPIT Technologies recently built a hydrogen fuel cell-powered bus," she explained.

Dr Kalaiselvi earlier inaugurated the P.M. Bhargava Auditorium at the CSIR- Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) on Monday, named after its founder-director Pushpa Mittra Bhargava. The institute will observe its 37th Foundation Day on November 26.

Dr Kalaiselvi was joined by Dr D. Srinivas Reddy and Dr Prakash Kumar, directors of IICT and NGRI respectively. She congratulated CCMB on its work on sickle cell anaemia. In her speech, she spoke extensively on climate change.

Responding to a question on the limit being capped at 32 years for application to the research positions in CSIR institutes, Dr Kalaiselvi said this measure could encourage young scientists and researchers to take up a job early and focus on research rather than spending time abroad on further studies.

She said several fellowships and research collaborations are available for young scientists to conduct research in developed countries.

Talking about the funding for research, Dr Kalaiselvi said that though the governments invest only 0.7 per cent of GDP in research, there are several other channels for funding. “It is quite a comfortable and convenient number," the director-general noted.

On the issues of research misconduct, Dr Kalaiselvi said the CSIR was taking the issue seriously. “Students want to get as many publications as possible and finish their PhDs in a hurry. Several instances of research papers being retracted from international journals came to our notice.”

“That’s why we have made research ethics one of the subjects in our ACSiR curriculum for PhD students. Awareness about plagiarism is being generated through talks and seminars about these things," she explained.

On the issue of infertility, she said the entire globe was worried about the increasing rates of infertility. “Our human resource is our strength but will this become a problem for us three decades later, Dr Kalaiselvi asked. “Can we do something to prevent, diagnose and treat this problem.”