CSIR-IMMT Celebrates 84th CSIR Foundation Day
By Tapaswini Sahoo
Bhubaneswar, Nov 24 : CSIR–Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (CSIR-IMMT), Bhubaneswar celebrated the 84th CSIR Foundation Day on its campus on 28 November 2025. The event was graced by Dr. Ranjit Rath, Chairman and Managing Director, Oil India Limited, as the Chief Guest.
Although CSIR Foundation Day is traditionally observed on 26 September at the CSIR Headquarters in New Delhi, CSIR-IMMT commemorated the occasion this year with great enthusiasm, featuring a poster exhibition and several institutional showcases.
In his welcome address, Dr. Ramanuj Narayan, Director, CSIR-IMMT, highlighted CSIR’s remarkable contributions to India’s growth across diverse sectors—ranging from leather and chemicals to aerospace, mining, and pharmaceuticals. He also announced that CSIR-IMMT has recently been selected as a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Critical Minerals by the Ministry of Mines.
Senior scientists Dr. Kali Sanjay, Dr. L.D. Besra, and Dr. Trupti Das joined the Director and the ChiefGuest on the dais.
Dr. Kali Sanjay delivered a presentation on business development initiatives at CSIR-IMMT, including the newly sanctioned Technology Translation Facilitation Centre and various industry-oriented training Programs.
A significant highlight of the event was the signing of an MoU between CSIR-IMMT and GGB Battery Pvt. Ltd., Kerala, to collaborate on research in energy storage technologies—specifically batteries and supercapacitors—under the leadership of Dr. Bikash Kumar Jena, Senior Principal Scientist.
During the ceremony, CSIR-IMMT felicitated superannuated staff members, employees completing 25 years of service, and wards of CSIR personnel who excelled academically.
Introducing the Chief Guest, Dr. Trupti Das underscored the notable contributions of Dr. Rath in advancing innovations in oil exploration, sustainable energy, and national energy security.
Delivering the Foundation Day address, Dr. Ranjit Rath praised CSIR’s global presence and its collaborative efforts to address major scientific challenges. He lauded CSIR-IMMT’s growing national relevance under the Critical Minerals Mission and announced that Oil India Limited will serve as an Industrial Spoke of CSIR-IMMT’s Centre of Excellence.
Dr. Rath recounted the origins of India’s oil exploration in 1889 and shared insights into technological innovations such as bamboo-based ethanol for fuel blending. He urged young researchers to embrace risk-taking in high-end, exploratory research and emphasized the growing importance of disruptive technologies like AI/ML in resource exploration.
He further encouraged enhanced collaboration between Oil India Limited and CSIR-IMMT in areas including vanadium extraction, anode material development from pet coke, potash and REE extraction, lithium exploration, corrosion studies, and the integration of AI/ML for geophysical data interpretation.
He stressed that citizens expect impactful scientific outcomes, making translational research more crucial than ever.
The event concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr. L.D. Besra, Chief Scientist. Dr. Jyoti Lamba coordinated the program. The celebration saw participation from eminent guests, retired and current staff, and students of CSIR-IMMT.
