At a ceremony held at Prithvi Bhawan Headquarters in New Delhi on October 13, 2026, the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR) announced a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Under this landmark pact, all ten premier research institutes of MoES have been recognised as AcSIR Associated Research Institutes (AcSIR-ARIs). The partnership combines the state-of-the-art research facilities and scientific expertise of MoES with the flexible academic framework of AcSIR, enabling doctoral (PhD) programmes in a wide range of earth system science domains such as atmospheric, ocean and polar sciences.
Executed on August 21, 2026, the MoU was signed on behalf of MoES by Dr. Praveen Kumar D., Scientist-G and Mission Director (Mission Mausam), and by Prof. Manoj Kumar Dhar, Director, AcSIR. The formal announcement and exchange of documents took place in the presence of the Secretary, MoES, and senior officials and directors of both organisations.
Addressing the event, which marked a major national initiative between MoES and the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), MoES Secretary Dr. Srinivasa Kumar Tummala highlighted the key role played by collaborative research and academic partnerships.
Through this joint effort, MoES and its ten institutions are now linked with AcSIR, creating a unified ecosystem for advanced scientific research and educational capacity building in oceanography, atmospheric sciences, hydrology and planetary systems.
"I am sure MoES will be a big beneficiary — us, our institutions, our scientists, and the students who are actually engaging with earth sciences," stated the Secretary, MoES. "We really look forward to working with all institutions and their headquarters. We will ensure that this becomes a great association going forward for the benefit of the entire earth science faculty, science, and technology researchers."
The joint framework is meant to promote interdisciplinary research, make the sharing of resources and infrastructure among national laboratories smoother, and offer better academic opportunities to students and early-career scientists.
Nationwide network of recognised institutes: Every one of the ten MoES institutes is functioning as an AcSIR-ARI.
Academics and award of degree: Students chosen under the AcSIR PhD programme will carry out research at MoES institutes, guided by MoES scientists who are recognised as AcSIR faculty. The doctoral degree will be awarded by AcSIR, and the degree certificate will clearly mention the host institute.
Operational readiness: All ten institutes are part of the latest AcSIR PhD enrolment cycle. To streamline academic work, Nodal AcSIR Coordinators have been appointed at each institute, along with a Central Coordinator at MoES.
Broad spectrum of research domains: The partnership creates doctoral opportunities in specialised areas of earth system sciences, covering weather forecasting and climate services, numerical weather prediction, polar and cryosphere research, ocean observation and marine robotics, deep-sea mining and desalination, seismology and earthquake hazard assessment, coastal processes, marine living resources, and AI/ML applications in earth sciences.
Intellectual Property Rights: IPR arising from the research will credit the student as the inventor, while jointly held intellectual property will be shared mutually.
Picture: MoES and AcSIR officials at the MoU signing ceremony held at Prithvi Bhavan Headquarters, New Delhi.