Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi, August 5, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A proposal initiated by Thiruvananthapuram MP Dr Shashi Tharoor to bring together eight premier scientific and research institutions in the city under a coordinated research cluster has received a positive response from the Centre.
Union Minister for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh has expressed willingness to discuss the initiative further with Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, following a meeting with Tharoor in New Delhi on the proposed collaboration.
Sharing details of the meeting, Tharoor said the Union Minister supported the idea of establishing a collaborative research cluster and was keen to take it forward as an example of Centre-State cooperation.
“The projects under the proposed cluster will be conceived and developed by the institutions themselves,” Tharoor said, adding that he looked forward to further discussions in Thiruvananthapuram.
The proposed cluster will bring together eight major scientific and research institutions located in and around Thiruvananthapuram — the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS), Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI), CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST), Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), and Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST).
Six of these institutions are located within Tharoor’s Lok Sabha constituency.
The initiative builds upon a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the eight institutions in September last year to promote greater academic and research cooperation. The agreement was signed at SCTIMST in the presence of senior officials from the Department of Science and Technology and heads of the participating institutions.
The MoU focuses on joint research projects, exchange programmes for faculty and students, sharing of research infrastructure, and innovation-oriented initiatives. It also includes the creation of a Young Researchers’ Platform to encourage collaboration among emerging scientists.
If implemented, the proposed cluster is expected to enhance Thiruvananthapuram’s role as a major science and technology hub and create a framework for stronger cooperation between national research institutions and government agencies.
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