Page 134 - CW E-Magazine (11-3-2025)

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CSIR-NCL celebrates Platinum Jubilee & launches

innovation roadmap to 2030

The leading chemicals research
centre of the Council of Scientifi c &
Industrial Research (CSIR), the National
Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL),
Pune, celebrated 75 years of its esta-
blishment on February 20, 2025.

Dr. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chair-
person, Biocon Group, was the Chief
Guest at the event, while Dr. R.A.
Mashelkar, former Director General,
CSIR and former Director, CSIR-NCL,
was the Guest of Honour. Dr. Ashish
Lele, Director, CSIR-NCL, presided
over the function, which was attended
by leaders from academia, research
institutes, industrialists, scientists,
employees and students of CSIR-NCL.
Dr. Lele also presented the key achievements and emphasised the need
Major achievements components of the innovation roadmap for closer collaboration with industry
Welcoming the guests, Dr. Lele, for the period 2021-2030, and the chal- during technology development for
Director, presented a detailed report lenges and strategies to overcome them. faster successful commercialisation.
on the major achievements of the lab,
especially focusing on the performance ‘Quantum computing and AI will Dr. Mashelkar reiterated the major
in 2024. The lab received 48 patents for accelerate pace of innovations’ achievements of CSIR-NCL as well as
technologies developed and its scien- Delivering the keynote address, Dr. contributions of its scientifi c expertise
tists published over 400 research papers Mazumdar-Shaw discussed the current towards understanding chemical disas-
in 2024. The technology for continuous churning of the global technology land- ters, including the Bhopal Gas Tragedy
manufacturing of a widely used drug, scape, especially due to Artifi cial Intel- in December 1984 and the Maharashtra
paracetamol, was developed at the lab ligence (AI), and expressed confi dence Gas Cracker Complex blast in 1990. He
and commercialised at industrial scale. that Indian scientists could develop also lauded the lab for its leadership in
Critical technologies useful for the futuristic disruptive technologies in the obtaining Intellectual Property Rights
military were also developed and fi elds of chemistry as well as biotech- (IPR) (patents) for several technologies.
implemented. nology at low costs. “The recent deve-
lopments in AI and quantum computing Emphasising the qualities of pur-
can accelerate innovations in biosci- pose, perseverance, etc. for success, he
ences, healthcare, engineering sciences, detailed how CSIR-NCL won a World
etc.,” she said, adding that Indian Bank Consultancy contract for trans-
scientists can replicate China’s “fast forming a chemical research laboratory
follower” strategy and develop innova- in China against stiff competition from
tive pharmaceuticals at a fraction of the global consulting companies, despite
cost in western countries. facing language barriers.

Dr. Mazumdar-Shaw also lauded Museum inaugurated
scientists of CSIR-NCL for their The Platinum Jubilee celebrations

134 Chemical Weekly March 11, 2025

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