CSIR and the MSS Research Foundation (MSSRF) entered an MoU to work together for livelihood generation among rural, tribal, and farming communities. The MoU was signed by Dr N Kalaiselvi, DG, CSIR and Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson, MSSRF. Senior officials from CSIR and MSSRF representatives witnessed the MoU signing on 9 July 2024.

Speaking on occasion, Dr N Kalaiselvi, DG, CSIR, expressed that although CSIR labs disseminate technologies developed in the labs to potential users, the outreach, especially in the societal sector, would be enhanced through joining hands with organisations such as MSSRF, which works at the grassroots level.

Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson, MSSRF, stated that the Foundation is making efforts to reach out to the tribal and vulnerable communities. The foundation is seeking for low-cost, affordable and potential technologies and technical support from CSIR laboratories as a technology facilitating partner under this umbrella MoU. This partnership is important because tribals or various other such groups are not able to directly approach CSIR labs due to many inherent reasons such as geographical location, language of communication and lack of required resources.

The MoU entails creating a framework and meaningful association for the transfer of affordable, proven and selected technologies with societal relevance available across the CSIR laboratories/institutes and mentoring the SHGs/NGOs/FPOs and other voluntary organisations selected by MSSRF for livelihood generation and empowerment of women, tribal population.

CSIR, with a vision to pursue science which strives for global impact, technology that enables innovation-driven industry and nurtures transdisciplinary leadership thereby catalysing inclusive economic development for the people of India, undertakes R&D in outcome-driven mode in diverse areas such as i) Healthcare; ii) Agri, Nutrition & Biotechnology; iii) Energy and Energy devices; iv) Chemicals, Leather and Petrochemicals; v) Mining, Minerals, Metals and Materials; vi) Civil infrastructure & Engineering; and vii) Aerospace, Electronics and Instrumentation & Strategic Sector; viii) Ecology, Environment, Earth Sciences and Water.

MSSRF, a non-profit trust registered under the Indian Trusts Act 1882 and recognised by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India, as a Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, focuses specifically on tribal and rural communities with a pro-poor, pro-women and pro-nature approach. The Foundation applies appropriate science and technology options to address practical problems rural populations face in agriculture, food and nutrition through its Sub-Centres and Field Stations across the country.