C O N T E N T S OVERVIEW i-vi Resource Base vii Performance viii 1.0 S&T CONTRIBUTIONS 1.1 Aerospace Science & Technology 2 1.2 Biology & Biotechnology 6 1.3 Chemical Science & Technology 29 1.4 Earth Resources & Natural Hazards Assessment 44 1.5 Ecology & Environment 50 1.6 Electronics & Instrumentation 57 1.7 Energy 65 1.8 Food & Food Processing 69 1.9 Health Care, Drugs & Pharmaceuticals 79 1.10 Housing & Construction 90 1.11 Information Dissemination & Products 96 1.12 Leather 102 1.13 Material, Minerals, Metals & Manufacturing 105 2.0 CENTRAL MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES 2.1 CSIR Society 119 2.2 Governing Body 122 2.3 Advisory Board 123 2.4 Department Related Parliamentary Committee 123 2.5 CSIR Foundation Day 124 2.6 Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize 2003: Presentation Ceremony 126 2.7 Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes 2004 129 2.8 Directors’ Conference 130 3.0 HEADQUARTERS ACTIVITIES 3.1 R&D Planning Division (RDPD) 135 3.2 International S&T Affairs Directorate (ISTAD) 143 3.3 Intellectual Property Management Division (IPMD) 152 3.4 Technology Networking & Business Development Division 154 (TNBD) 3.5 Human Resource Development Group (HRDG) 160 3.6 Human Resource Development Centre (HRDC) 164 3.7 Unit for Science Dissemination (USD) 164 3.8 Recruitment and Assessment Board (RAB) 165 4.0 DATELINE CSIR 169 ANNEXURES I Intellectual Property from CSIR 189 Ia Foreign Patents Granted 190 II Top Papers published by CSIR 213 III Members of CSIR Society (including Members of CSIR 217 Governing Body) IV Members of the Advisory Board 219 V List of Network Projects 220 VI CAG Report 222 VII PM’s Speech at CSIR Society Meeting 224 O V E R V I E W The Annual Report for the year 2004-2005 highlights the salient features of the contributions made by CSIR in a wide spectrum of activities, which span from creation of public goods to private goods to social goods to strategic goods. While maiden flight of SARAS was a landmark in CSIR’s contributions to herald the civil aviation industry in the country, the discovery of a new molecule, as a potential drug for cure of deadly disease of tuberculosis, CSIR’s instant response to alleviation of hardships of Tsunami’s victims were the major contributions in other spheres. During the period under review, CSIR continued to make strides in scientific achievements as well as management reforms. These reform processes and new modes of operation were in consonance with the new demands on CSIR to respond to the dynamic changes taking place in India. Under new mode of operation, CSIR continued to consolidate its programme delivery through network projects. A large number of knowledge networks spread across and beyond CSIR laboratories were created. The focus of the programmes thus evolved has been to synergise the vast competencies of CSIR laboratories and others within the country. Special attention has been paid towards monitoring and evaluation of these large network projects. CSIR pioneered New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI) scheme, which is considered to be India’s largest private public partnership programme. There are 65 private sector companies and 175 institutions involved essentially to capture global technology leadership position and development of technology through consortia of the “best” academic/R&D and industrial partners. A number of NMITLI projects have paid handsome dividends by way of new discoveries. A major initiative was taken during this year to consolidate on the research results from these projects to convert them into major technology missions, e.g. TB Mission with a view to develop the first TB drug from India. CSIR has been an open and learning system with periodic reviews undertaken through internal and external committees. The ongoing reform process within CSIR owes itself largely to the recommendations of Kelkar Committee Report submitted last year. The committee revitalized the thought process for change management within the CSIR, which has been appreciated widely and emerged as a model for other institutions in India and abroad to emulate. The process of change within CSIR has also drawn our attention to focus on issues associated with human resource development. The ‘Human Resource Development i Center’ (HRDC) established during the year 2002 has taken an initiative for setting up of Human Resource Groups (HRGs) in all the CSIR laboratories. The HRDC shall be looking at the human resource development issues centrally at CSIR level; the Groups shall be responsible for meeting the specific HR needs of the laboratories. More specifically, it presents CSIR’s S&T contributions in the sectors such as Aerospace Science & Technology, Biology & Biotechnology, Chemical Science & Technology, Earth Resources & Natural Hazards Assessment, Ecology & Environment, Energy, Food & Food Processing, Health Care, Drugs & Pharmaceuticals, Housing & Construction, Information Dissemination & Products, Leather, Material, Minerals, Metals & Manufacturing and Metrology. Various activities related to Central Management and Headquarters are also detailed in the Report. The section on ‘Dateline CSIR’ lists the significant events that took place at various CSIR constituent laboratories during the year. Some of the notable features of the Report are provided below: SARAS TAKES TO SKIES SARAS, India’s first indigenously developed, multi-role civilian aircraft took its inaugural flight to skies at 8.20 am on Sunday, 22 nd August, 2004. SARAS will serve as a multi-role aircraft with feeder airline and air taxi operations as its primary roles. It would also be used as executive transport and light cargo carrier, in remote sensing, as aerial research vehicle, coast guard, border patrol, air ambulance and other services. It can take off and land from short semi-prepared runways and is therefore ideally suited for operations in difficult terrains and would help in providing connectivity, especially in the North East India. With potential for such multiple roles, it is expected that SARAS will usher in a vibrant civil aircraft industry in the country in the coming years. A NEW TB VACCINE Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading infectious killer of youth and adults. One third of the world’s population is currently infected with the causative organism, Mycobacterium tuberculosis , a Gram-positive bacterium. A candidate vaccine has successfully been evaluated in the form of live Mycobacterium habana in animals. M. habana is an atypical mycobacteria reported non pathogenic in mice, guinea pig and monkey. There is no report of its association with any human disease. The antigens of M.habana cross-react strongly to the antigens of M. tuberculosis , which means that the two mycobacterial strains share antigenic homology. ii TB MOLECULE BREAKTHROUGH As a result of private-public partnership programme, launched by New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI), a new molecule, ‘sudoterb’ for the treatment of TB has been developed, for which clinical trial has been started. This is the first new molecular strain discovered after Rifampicin in 1963. The molecule, which may help reduce the treatment time from eight months to two months, is especially well suited for the poor. A BIOMARKER FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS IICB identified the increased presence of disease specific biomarker(glycotype) on erythrocytes of patients with visceral leishmaniasis (VL). The over expression of this biomarker has helped in the development of erythrocyte binding assay to monitor the clinical status of visceral leishmaniasis patients, which can detect VL even under field conditions. Only a drop of blood is required for this assay. The assay is cheap, non-invasive and above all is rapid and can be carried out in field conditions. The assay has greater sensitivity and minimal cross reactivity with malaria and tuberculosis. The potential of this discovery has been quickly identified by World Health Organisation (WHO) for its global application and the technology has recently been transferred to an Indian company (Zephyr Biomedical, Goa). VAXIPRED- COMPUTER AIDED VACCINE DESIGN VaxiPred, an innovative immuno-informatics tool enabled computer aided vaccine design has been released. This research tool contains components, which synergistically and seamlessly combine the best of research in immunology and immuno-informatics, the offshoot of information technology. VaxiPred is primarily the result of premier research in vaccinology at IMTECH, which has been adequately backed and supported by use of state-of-the-art in information technology by BioMantra. VaxiPred changes the very percept, outlook and approach of vaccinology and immunology. Release of this state-of-the art technology for use amongst the research community has the potential to bring Indian vaccinology at par with world-class research. ISFET (ION-SENSITIVE FIELD-EFFECT TRANSISTOR)- BASED GLUCOSE BIOSENSOR CEERI has developed ISFET based glucose biosensor. This biosensor comprises an ion-sensitive field-effect transistor (ISFET), which is a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) with the metal gate replaced by a chemical membrane (SiO 2-Si 3N4) responsive to hydrogen ions, producing a solid-state pH- micro-sensor. This has the advantage over conventional biosensor in terms of smaller size, robustness, easy cleaning, minimal need for maintenance, and fast response. iii OPTICAL FIBRE AMPLIFIER For the first time in India, an optical amplifier for light wave telecommunication network has been developed by CGCRI using