National Institute for Inter-disciplinary Science and Technology

About NIIST

Established in 1978 as the Regional Research Laboratory, the National Institute for Inter-disciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) at Thiruvananthapuram is a constituent laboratory of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), India. We operate under the Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India.

Our Mission

To pursue frontier interdisciplinary research in chemical sciences, biological sciences, and materials science, leading to innovative technologies for sustainable development and societal benefit.

NIIST has evolved into a vibrant hub of scientific research with over 200 scientists, technologists, and support staff working across multiple disciplines. Our campus spans 55 acres in the picturesque outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, providing an ideal environment for intellectual pursuit.

45+ Labs

150+ Researchers

85 Patents

Research Divisions

Chemical Sciences

Advanced research in organic synthesis, catalysis, natural product chemistry, and green chemistry methodologies. Development of sustainable chemical processes with industrial applications.

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Materials Science

Design and development of advanced functional materials, nanomaterials, polymers, composites, and electronic materials for energy, healthcare, and environmental applications.

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Biological Sciences

Interdisciplinary research in microbiology, biotechnology, enzymology, and bioinformatics. Focus on industrial biotechnology, agricultural biotechnology, and biomedical research.

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Environmental Tech

Development of technologies for pollution control, waste management, water treatment, and renewable energy. Climate change studies and sustainable development solutions.

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State-of-the-Art Facilities

Central Analytical Facility

Our CAF houses sophisticated instruments including NMR (500 MHz), High-Resolution Mass Spectrometers, Single Crystal X-ray Diffractometer, SEM-EDS, TEM, XRD, FTIR, and Chromatographic systems. The facility provides analytical services to academia and industry across India.

24/7 Operational Access
Expert Technical Staff
Industry Collaboration

Pilot Plant Complex

Spread over 10,000 sq.ft., our pilot plant enables scaling up of laboratory processes to semi-commercial scale. Equipped with reactors, distillation columns, extraction units, and drying facilities for chemical, biochemical, and materials processing.

High-Performance Computing

Our computational facility supports molecular modeling, quantum chemical calculations, bioinformatics, and data science research. The cluster includes 256 cores with GPU acceleration, enabling complex simulations and big data analysis.

256 Core Cluster

1.2 Petaflop Computational Power

Recent Publications

"Novel Catalytic System for CO2 Conversion to Methanol"

Journal of Catalysis, Vol. 415, 2023

Dr. R. Menon et al. developed a new heterogeneous catalyst showing 85% selectivity for methanol production from carbon dioxide under mild conditions.

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"Biodegradable Polymers from Agricultural Waste"

Green Chemistry, Vol. 25, Issue 3, 2023

Dr. S. Nair's group successfully synthesized polyhydroxyalkanoates from pineapple waste with mechanical properties comparable to conventional plastics.

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"Nanocomposite Membranes for Water Desalination"

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2023

Research team developed graphene oxide-based membranes showing 99.5% salt rejection with high water flux, promising for seawater desalination applications.

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Research Impact

125+

Annual Publications

2,500+

Citations/Year

NIIST researchers consistently publish in high-impact international journals, with an average impact factor of 7.2 across publications.

Upcoming Conference

International Conference on Sustainable Materials (ICSM-2024)

January 15-17, 2024 | NIIST Campus, Thiruvananthapuram

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Strategic Collaborations

International Partners

NIIST maintains active research collaborations with leading institutions worldwide:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
Max Planck Society, Germany
University of Cambridge, UK
National University of Singapore
Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan

Industry Partnerships

We work closely with industry to translate research into practical solutions:

Reliance Industries Hindustan Unilever Sun Pharma Tata Chemicals ITC Limited Kerala Minerals

Technology Licensing

NIIST has licensed 45 technologies to industries, generating significant revenue and creating economic impact.