How CSIR is Reinventing Our Lives? What's Essentials for Making Career in CSIR? Know Top Facts before Applying for a Prospective Career !

Abstract:

Career & Opportunities

CSIR contributes immensely to the fostering, sustenance and upgrading of the human S&T resources of the country and its support-umbrella covers all age groups ranging from sixteen to sixty-five, in addition to adopting human resources management systems that improve its ability to build successful, high performance organizations. It is CSIR’s contribution to generation of the pool of bench-level workers in science that distinguishes it from other funding agencies.

Keywords:Council, Scientific, Industrial, Research (CSIR), Laboratories, Career, Funding, Science, Education, Engineering, Technology, R&D Lab, Economic, Growth

Learning Outcomes

1. What's CSIR?

2. What's aims and objectives of CSIR?

3. What's the main functions of CSIR?

4. What it Does?

5. What are the career opportunities available in CSIR?

6. What's the working culture in CSIR?

7. What's the Recruitment/ application process for the openings in CSIR?

8. What is the general eligibility requirements for career in CSIR?

9. How much is the remuneration paid in CSIR ?

10. What is the selection  criteria followed in CSIR?

11. What are educational opportunities available in CSIR?

12. What types of internships are available in CSIR?

13. What are significant Initiatives of the CSIR?

14. Conclusions

15. FAQs

1. What is CSIR?

Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), India was constituted in 1942 as an autonomous body under the provision of the Registration of Societies Act XXI of 1860. After independence, the need for bettering the living standards of the common man by promoting industry and for helping the industry to solve its problems through stimulus of scientific research was greatly stressed. The Council, through its constituent laboratories, has helped the country in increasing the economic growth and industrialization.

The Council has also helped the creation of new schools of research and in enlarging facilities for research by means of grants, training of research personnel, etc.

The CSIR has evolved as the biggest research and development group in India with more than 80 facilities:

3 innovation complexes

5 units with ‘a pan-India presence’

37 national laboratories

39 outreach centers

2. What's aims and objectives of CSIR?

The organisation plays a key role in supporting public and private sectors through directed research that is aligned with the country’s priorities, the organisation’s mandate and its science, engineering and technology competences.

Impact is at the core of our business and the following objectives are crafted to ensure that we achieve our mission:

• Conduct research, development and innovation of transformative technologies and accelerate their diffusion;
• Improve the competitiveness of high-impact industries to support South Africa’s re-industrialisation by collaboratively developing, localising and implementing technology;
• Drive socioeconomic transformation through RD&I that supports the development of a capable state;
• Build and transform human capital and infrastructure; and
• Diversify income, and maintain financial sustainability and good governance.

3. What's the main functions of CSIR?

The main functions of the Council are :

Promotion, guidance and coordination of scientific and industrial research in India including other institutions and financing the specific research activities.

Scientific study of problems affecting industries and trade.

Award of Research Fellowships.

Utilization of the results of researches conducted under the Council towards the development of industries in India.

The establishment, maintenance and management of laboratories, workshops and organizations to further scientific and industrial research.

The collection and dissemination of information in regard not only to research but also to industrial matters generally.

Publication of scientific papers.

Other activities to promote generally the objects of resolution.

Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), India is perhaps among the world's largest publicly funded R&D organisation. Its chain of 38 world class R&D establishments with their 80 field stations spread across India are manned by highly qualified scientists and engineers, besides auxiliary and other staff. Its range of activities cover practically the entire spectrum of industrial R&D ranging from aerospace to mining to microelectronics to metallurgy and so on. CSIR is truly a global R&D resource as its patrons and partners hail from over 50 countries.

4. What CSIR does?

CSIR engages in research and development work across different fields of science and technology.

Best known for CSIR has more than 80 facilities in India, making them the biggest research and development organization in the country.

Staff stats: 

More than 14,000 employees in India

Financials: 

INR 51.44 billion government-allocated funds as of 2021

The good bits: 

CSIR offers competitive remuneration for entry-level roles like junior research fellows, who earn an average monthly salary of INR31,000.

The not-so-good bits: 

Most applicants pay INR100 in application fees before they can pursue a job in CSIR. The screening exams can take up to three hours.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) story

The government of India established CSIR as an autonomous research and development body in 1942. Since then, the organization has evolved as the biggest research and development group in India with more than 80 facilities:

3 innovation complexes

5 units with ‘a pan-India presence’

37 national laboratories

39 outreach centers

These facilities allow CSIR to launch research and development efforts for the agriculture, energy, environment, food, health, housing, and non-farm sectors.

5. What are the career opportunities available in CSIR?

More than just being the largest R&D group in the country, CSIR became a prominent name in the industry by building an extensive patent portfolio. The organization has more than 3,500 active patents in India and several countries.

The CSIR’s multidisciplinary nature perfectly positions the organisation to help solve the increasingly complex problems of our time. It ensures that we leverage the best skills from a variety of disciplines and fields, and this makes for a stimulating and rewarding work environment. Computer scientists, for example, could find their skills applied to research efforts in anything from designing aircraft and helping companies to understand large data sets, to developing algorithms for controlling the behaviour of robots. These career paths are seldom linear. As scientists are exposed to so many different opportunities, many choose to grow in a whole new area of interest they had not considered before. A physicist working with condensed matter, for example, could discover she has an interest in nano-technology, lasers or synthetic biology and choose to advance her career in that direction.

Below are some of the careers you can pursue within the science, technology, engineering and math spectrum. 

6. What's the working culture in CSIR,?

The culture

Insiders describe CSIR’s workplace environment as a place where freshers can easily transition from their college lives to actual research and development work. Employees often interact with their peers in the country and from the international scientific community.

More importantly, the collaborative workplace compels employees to pursue further studies like a Ph.D. Freshers should consider it to be a gateway towards career advancement.

Some employees, though, believe that the benefits of working at CSIR should be applicable for contractors as well. Despite this, the workplace culture largely remains beneficial for freshers based on the Scimago Institutions Ranking World Report.

CSIR is the only Indian organization that made it to the report’s top 100 global institutions. This ranking implies that employees are exposed to a productive workplace environment.

Social contributions

CSIR partly depends on corporate donations to fund its corporate social responsibility efforts. These initiatives aim to recognize significant contributions to science:

CSIR Innovation Award for School Children

CSIR Young Scientist Awards

CSIR Technology Awards-2020

CSIR Award for S&T Innovation for Rural Development

CSIR Diamond Jubilee Technology Award

The vibe of the place

It can be intimidating for freshers to work at CSIR because they will be surrounded by highly educated people. As a government agency, there can be signs of a typical government work culture, despite being an autonomous research and development body.

Even so, freshers won’t become bored at CSIR because there are plenty of learning opportunities. There’s always work to do at the organization’s 80+ facilities

7. What's the Recruitment/ application process for the openings in CSIR?

Recruitment Process

The recruitment process

CSIR’s hiring process can last up to four weeks. The organization mostly follows a four-step procedure for accepting applications:

Online registration

Online fee payment (INR100)

Online application submission

Manual dispatch of hard copy for online application

CSIR doesn’t require people from the following groups to pay the application fee:

CSIR employees

Ex-servicemen

Persons with disabilities

Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes

Women and ‘other gender category

8. What is the general eligibility requirements for career in CSIR?

The eligibility criteria are announced by CSIR with each announcements/ advertisement.

However some basic information are the following as per available information:

HIRING CANDIDATES WITH QUALIFICATIONS IN

Business & Management

Creative Arts

Engineering & Mathematics

Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences

IT & Computer Science

Law, Legal Studies & Justice

Medical & Health Sciences

Sciences

Freshers who want to become JRFs must meet the minimum qualifications:

Relevant degrees (eg Bachelor in Engineering, Bachelor in Technology)

Minimum 55% marks (50% for reservation categories)

National Eligibility Test qualification

Ph.D./integrated Ph.D. program

CSIR doesn’t require every technician, technical assistant, and technical officer to be experienced professionals. 

They may only need a relevant bachelor’s degree with 55% marks.

9. How much is the remuneration paid and career growth prospects in CSIR ?

Remuneration & Career Growth

Career prospects

A fresher’s best chances of joining CSIR involve working as a junior research fellow (JRF), project assistant (PA), research associate (RA), or technical and support staff.

Inexperienced freshers can start as PA I or PA II before becoming PA III, which requires at least two years of experience. CSIR requires further studies like doctorate degrees and two to four years of experience for RAs.

Project assistants at CSIR may earn between INR15,000 and INR28,000 per month. JRFs earn an average monthly salary of INR31,000. Experience is a primary factor for salaries of technical and support staff:

Technicians (INR19,990 to INR63,200)

Technical assistants (INR35,400 to INR112,400)

Technical officers (INR44,900 to INR142,400)

Employee benefits may include housing rent allowance, medical bill reimbursements, flexible working hours, and pension plans

10.  What is the selection  criteria followed in CSIR?

The organization’s Screening Committee will shortlist candidates and invite them to take a trade test. Freshers who pass the test will then need to ace the competitive written exam. These exams usually comprise three parts and test a candidate based on:

Mental abilities (eg general intelligence, problem-solving, quantitative aptitude)

General awareness

English fluency; and

Technical knowledge about the role.

Applicants may take up to three hours to complete the tests. 

CSIR lists exam questions in English and Hindi. There’s one negative mark for every wrong answer, except for the mental abilities test

11. What are educational opportunities available in CSIR?

CSIR institutes having state-of-the-art training facilities in terms of expertise, vast infrastructure, modern equipment, latest instrumentation, pilot plants and design facilities provide specialized training on request from Indian / foreign institutions/industry. In addition, CSIR institutes offer hundreds of structured training programs every year for foreign nationals under various programs of DST, DBT, SAARC-PTB and MEA-ITEC.

The details can be viewed from CSIR website.

12. What types of internships are available in CSIR?

The CSIR Internship Programme provides new graduates the opportunity to gain 12 months working experience in a research environment, affording them the opportunity to grow core research skills under the guidance of more experienced professionals.

Eligibility

New graduates in science, engineering and technology fields interested in gaining work experience

Criteria

A BSc, BEng or BSc Honours degree in Science, Engineering and Technology

Internship covers

Financial support

Monthly stipend

Informal training (short-courses) through CILLA

Non-financial support

Mentorship

Working on projects that contribute to the improvement of the lives of South Africans

How to apply

Internship opportunities are advertised throughout the year on www.csir.co.za in the vacancies section.

13. What are significant Initiatives of the CSIR?

The CSIR has established five technology verticals to handle the emerging pandemic situation. 

They are to surveillance by two means- digital means and molecular means, then the Diagnostic that are both quick and cost-effective, drug repurposing, vaccines, and convalescent plasma therapy, PPE and assistive devices in the Hospital and the last is supply chains and the logistic support systems.

It created an indigenous Head-Up Display (HUD) for the Tejas, an Indian Light Combat Aircraft. The pilot uses the HUD to help him navigate the plane and perform essential flight maneuvers like weapon pointing.

Establishment of a solar tree in the energy and environment sector that uses the least amount of area possible to generate clean energy.

The first lithium ion battery fabrication factory in India has been constructed, using indigenous innovative materials to produce 4.0 V/14 h standard cells.

The creation of the Ksheer-scanner which is a novel technical development by the CSIR and CEERI that detects the amount of adulteration of the milk and the adulterants in just 45 seconds for 10 paise, putting milk adulteration on notice.

The CSIR has established a programme named as GOMED (Genomics and other omics technology for Enabling Medical Decisions) that gives a framework for disease genomics to address clinical challenges.

The CSIR has created and tested a double-enriched salt, which is a salt that is fortified with iron and iodine that has better qualities for treating anemia in individuals.

The development of a whitefly-resistant transgenic cotton line.

JD Vaccine for the animals of the farm: Vaccine produced and sold to immunise Sheep, Goat, Cow, and Buffalo against Johne’s disease (JD) in order to improve milk and meat output.

The CSIR has been connecting with society through numerous programmes, and one of the most recent is the “JIGYASA” which connects the student and the scientist. The goal of this programme is to connect school kids with scientists so that students’ classroom learning can be supplemented by well-planned research laboratory learning.

The CSIR has created the world’s first Digital Library of traditional knowledge which is available in five different languages around the world. The languages are English, French, German, Japanese and lastly Spanish.

14. Conclusions

The CSIR pursues Excellence, celebrates People, personifies Integrity, and welcomes Collaboration.

In the fields of aeronautical engineering, structural engineering, ocean sciences, life sciences, chemical, mines, food, oilfield, leather, and environmental science, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research has conducted research. 

It has also taken a number of scientific and technological endeavours.

15. FAQs on CSIR 

Q.1. How many CSIR labs are there in India?

Ans.: CSIR has a dynamic network of 37 national laboratories, 39 outreach centres, 1 Innovation Complexes, and three units with a pan-India presence.

Q.2. What is the new name of CSIR?

Ans. CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (CSIR-NIScPR), New Delhi came into existence on 01-04-2021 with the merger of erstwhile CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (CSIR-NISCAIR), New Delhi and erstwhile CSIR-National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies (CSIR-NISTADS), New Delhi vide CSIR OM No. 5-1(762)/2021-PD Dated 28-05-2021.

Q.3. What is the web link for latest announcements for jobs?

Ans.: You may click on the following link:

https://niscpr.res.in/home/jobs

Q.4. What are top CSIR Laboratories/Institutes?

Ans.: Top CSIR Laboratories/Institutes

1 CSIR-AMPRI 

Advanced Materials and Processes Research Institute, Bhopal

2 CSIR-CBRI 

Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee

3 CSIR-CDRI 

Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow

4 CSIR-CCMB 

Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad

5 CSIR-CECRI 

Central Electrochemical Research Institute, Karaikudi

6 CSIR-CEERI 

Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute, Pilani

7 CSIR-CFTRI 

Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore

8 CSIR-CGCRI 

Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute, Kolkata

9 CSIR-CIMAP 

Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants, Lucknow

10 CSIR-CIMFR 

Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Dhanbad

11 CSIR-CLRI 

Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai

12 CSIR-CMERI 

Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute, Durgapur

13 CSIR-CRRI 

Central Road Research Institute, New Delhi

14 CSIR-CSIO 

Central Scientific Instruments Organisation, Chandigarh

15 CSIR-CSMCRI 

Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar

16 CSIR-IGIB 

Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology, Delhi

17 CSIR-IHBT 

Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur

18 CSIR-IICB 

Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata

19 CSIR-IICT 

Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad

20 CSIR-IIIM 

Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu

21 CSIR-IIP 

Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun

22 CSIR-IITR 

Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow

23 CSIR-IMMT 

Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology , Bhubnaneswar

24 CSIR-IMT 

Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh

25 CSIR-NAL 

National Aerospace Laboratories, Bengaluru

26 CSIR-NBRI 

National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow

27 CSIR-NCL 

National Chemical Laboratory, Pune

28 CSIR-NEERI 

National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur

29 CSIR-NEIST 

North-East Institute of Science & Technology, Jorhat

30 CSIR-NGRI 

National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad

31 CSIR-NIIST 

National Institute for Inter-disciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram

32 CSIR-NIO 

National Institute of Oceanography, Goa

33 CSIR-NIScPR 

National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research, New Delhi

34 CSIR-NML 

National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur

35 CSIR-NPL 

National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi

36 CSIR-SERC 

Structural Engineering Research Centre, Chennai

37 CSIR-4PI 

CSIR Fourth Paradigm Institute, Bengaluru

References:

Official website of CSIR