Doors of the CSIR-NPL will Remain Open to the Public for a Week

Did you know that CSIR-NPL is the custodian of Indian Standard Time (IST), generated using an atomic timescale consisting of Cesium atomic clocks and Hydrogen masers? Not just that, IST is kept traceable within a few nanoseconds of the international reference time UTC (coordinated Universal Time) using ultra-precise satellite links. Come and witness how CSIR-NPL keeps the nation’s time ticking!

Did you know that the CSIR-NPL standardises the measurements of gas and airborne particles for monitoring atmospheric pollution?

Did you know that the ‘election ink’ or the indelible ink used during elections to mark out voters who have exercised their franchise, was developed at CSIR-NPL in 1952, and is considered one of the most significant contributions to Indian democracy?

Did you know that CSIR-NPL has developed the technology to recycle the enormous amount of plastic waste that India creates daily into colourful tiles?

Now is the time to get first-hand acquaintance with all these wonders of science at CSIR-NPL, which is opening its doors to the general public under the ‘One Week, One Lab’ programme, from 17-21 April 2023.

Union Minister (S&T) Dr Jitendra Singh recently announced a unique campaign, called “One Week -One Lab” in which all labs of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) will reach out to the public to not only showcase their technologies but also to ignite the minds of young innovators, students, start-ups, academia, and industry to look for opportunities through deep tech ventures. In the “One Week, One Lab” campaign, in successive weeks, each of the CSIR labs are showcasing their exclusive innovations and technological breakthroughs to the people of India. The CSIR laboratories are unique and specialize in specific areas which span from genome to geology, food to fuel, minerals to materials, and so on.

CSIR-NPL Director, Prof Venugopal Achanta said, “CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is going to organize the One Week- One Lab program from 17-21 April 2023. The aim of this program is to create awareness about the available technologies and services present at NPL among potential stakeholders, to provide solutions to societal problems, to sensitize the masses about the importance of precise measurements and to develop the scientific temperament among masses, especially amongst students who are the future of the country”.

CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (NPL-India) is mandated to be India’s “National Metrology Institute” (NMI) by the act of Parliament and is the custodian of “National Standards” with a responsibility of the dissemination of measurements to the needs of the Country. CSIR-NPL is critically engaged in the development of India’s measurement standards that are internationally accepted and disseminating the measurement capabilities to industry, government, strategy and academia that underpin India’s prosperity and quality of life.

The campaign comprises an interaction with school students, Metrology Conclave, R&D Conclave & Women in STEM and Science Conclave. 

It preserves and maintains the measurement standards of length, mass, temperature etc including the task of dissemination the Indian Standard Time (IST). NPL is conducting multidisciplinary R&D with a mission to establish futuristic quantum standards and upcoming technologies so that India remains on par with international measurement laboratories. It is developing sophisticated analytical equipment (i.e. import substitutes) under the “Make in India” programme to cater for the ever-increasing demands of emerging India and training young scientists and industry personnel in the area of measurements under the “Skill India” programme.

“The “One Week-One Lab” program at CSIR-NPL comprises several different activities, which will start from the press meet on April 14, 2023 (Friday, 12 Noon) at Press Club of India (PCI), New Delhi. The campaign will be inaugurated on April 17th by Honourable Minister Dr Jitendra Singh ji in the presence of Director General- CSIR, Dr N. Kalaiselvi. The major focus of the inaugural day is the Interaction with School/College students. The students from various schools and colleges in Delhi-NCR will be participating in the program. Quiz competitions and lab visits are two of the many activities scheduled for the day. The students will have the opportunity to interact with the NPL scientists,” added Prof Achanta.

From April 18-20, there would be three days of Start-up/MSME/Industry Meet. The aim of this event is to showcase various services extended by NPL to industries. In this event, all stakeholders have been invited whom NPL has helped/connected/provided technological support/consultancy/services. During this event each day, more than 20 industries will be joining where they will not only showcase their technologies/services (which NPL has contributed) but also talk about NPL’s scientific and technological help they have received. Several other crucial issues will be discussed related to innovation framework and ecosystem. MoUs with 4 new industry partners will be signed for technology transfer and development.

On 19th April, the Metrology Conclave will be organized and a Handbook on Advances in Metrology at CSIR-NPL will be released. CSIR-NPL’s Role and Efforts in the field of Metrology, CSIR-NPL Road Map for Future and Developing National and International Collaborations, and panel discussion are the other attributes of the metrology conclave.

On 20th April, R&D Conclave & Women in STEM is planned where eminent scientists of the NPL family and alumni will share their vision and showcase the role of CSIR-NPL in recent advancements in science and technology. The focus of this one-day event will be on Women’s empowerment during the above-said event and a series of activities will be conducted by women scientists to discuss the recent trend in Research and Development, Challenges, and Opportunities for Women in STEM Careers. Also, there will be a documentary film to showcase renowned Women Scientists in India.

On 21st April, a one-day Skill Conclave will be held. The prime focus of the conclave is to sensitize/educate the masses about CSIR-NPL’s skill program and inspire locals by hosting various expert lectures and skill demonstrations in the fields related to all aspects of our lives. To train skilled manpower needed in the country by different industries, academia, and society, CSIR-NPL is carrying out, from time to time, many events.

For more details about CSIR-NPL and its “One Week One Lab” program, please visit the NPL website:

https://www.nplindia.org/. To participate, interested may register for the event.

Disclaimer: This is an official press release by pib.