N. Kalaiselvi, Director General, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), on Friday (January 23, 2026) expressed confidence that the Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship Hub being developed by the CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) here would script a “number of success stories” in the coming years.
Dr. Kalaiselvi, who is also Secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), was speaking to reporters after Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the foundation stone for the hub which is to come up on a ten-acre campus at the Bio-360 Life Sciences Park at Thonnackal.
Through the five major initiatives proposed under the hub, CSIR-NIIST has prioritised “Kerala, Kerala-based industries and society,” Dr. Kalaiselvi said. She also cited the Kerala government’s transfer of ten acres of land on a 90-year lease for the project as an example of the importance it places on innovation and entrepreneurship.
The thrust areas of the hub include centres of excellence in Ayurveda research and sustainable packaging, Regional Resource Development Centre for coir, rubber and spices; a pilot plant for production of solar hydrogen from waste water and and a production line for biopolymer and bio-based products.
According to the NIIST, the hub is envisioned as a catalyst for deep-tech innovation and as a bridge between research and commercialisation in the life sciences sector. It will foster an ecosystem for start-ups and medium, small and micro enterprises (MSME), accelerate technology-to-market translation and promote skill development, employment generation, women’s empowerment, and inclusive economic growth, the institute said.
In the case of Ayurveda, the hub will focus on critical aspects such as standardisation and quality control, Dr. Kalaiselvi said.
Support to start-ups
In collaboration with the Spices Board, Coir Board and Rubber Board, the hub will drive innovation by supporting startups and enterprises and advanced industrial applications. The NIIST’s plans for green hydrogen technologies at the hub comes at a time when the Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology (Anert) is pushing ahead with the Hydrogen Valley Innovation Cluster (HVIC) project in the State.
“The strategic focus of the proposed hub is contingent on national efforts to strengthen the life science industries and to enable talent pool generation and further to establish a life science cluster with focussed growth accelerators in Thiruvananthapuram,” CSIR-NIIST director C. Anandharamakrishnan said in a statement. Envisioned as a national platform, the hub will drive deep-tech innovation, entrepreneurship, and translational research, in line with the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, he said.
Published – January 23, 2026 06:47 pm IST
