Centre backs Shashi Tharoor's proposal for Thiruvananthapuram research cluster

A proposal to bring together eight premier scientific and research institutions in Thiruvananthapuram under a coordinated research cluster received an encouraging response from the Centre on Aug 5, with Union Minister for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh expressing willingness to discuss the initiative with Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan.

The proposal was discussed during a meeting between Thiruvananthapuram MP Dr Shashi Tharoor and the Union Minister in New Delhi.

In a social media post after the meeting, Tharoor said the minister had fully embraced the idea of creating a collaborative research cluster and was willing to take it forward as a model of Centre-State cooperation.

He said the projects under the proposed cluster would be conceived and developed by the institutions themselves.

"I am looking forward to further discussions in Thiruvananthapuram," Tharoor said, describing the meeting as excellent.

The proposed cluster will bring together eight leading national institutions located in and around the capital city -- the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB), the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), the National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS), the Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI), the CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST), the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), and the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST).

Six of these institutions fall within Tharoor's Lok Sabha constituency.

The proposal builds on an initiative launched in September last year when these eight institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding to deepen academic and research collaboration.

The agreement, signed at the SCTIMST in the presence of senior officials of the Department of Science and Technology and heads of the participating institutions, laid the foundation for interdisciplinary research, knowledge sharing, and innovation.

The MoU envisages joint research projects, faculty and student exchanges, shared research infrastructure and innovation-driven programmes.

It also provides for a Young Researchers' Platform aimed at nurturing emerging scientists and promoting collaboration across institutions.

If implemented, the proposed research cluster is expected to strengthen Thiruvananthapuram's position as one of the country's leading science and technology hubs while fostering closer collaboration between premier national institutions and creating a model for Centre-State partnership in research and innovation.

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