India is prioritising research and applied sciences to achieve energy security and address environmental challenges, as highlighted at the Sustainability Through Fundamental and Applied Sciences (STFAS) conference.
Key Points
- Research and applied sciences are crucial for sustainable solutions in India's energy security and environmental sectors.
- CSIR urges students to pursue research and entrepreneurship for sustainable development.
- The STFAS conference focuses on sustainable materials, green energy, and AI-driven sustainability.
- The conference aims to strengthen the collaboration between academia and industry for practical solutions.
- The event includes student activities and workshops to promote scientific engagement and innovation.
Research and applied sciences will be central to developing sustainable solutions for India's energy security, green chemistry and broader environmental challenges, CSIR Director General N Kalaiselvi said on Monday.
Addressing the inaugural session of an international conference on Sustainability Through Fundamental and Applied Sciences (STFAS), 2026, at Delhi University's Hindu College, she stressed that scientific innovation must move beyond theory to deliver scalable, real-world applications.
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) director also urged students to actively pursue research and entrepreneurship, saying the next generation of scientists and innovators would play a key role in shaping sustainable development.
International Collaboration for Sustainability
The conference, jointly organised by the college's Departments of Physics and Chemistry, is being held from April 6 to 8. It has brought together nearly 30 national and international speakers from premier institutions, including IITs, CSIR laboratories, global universities and industry.
Hindu College principal Anju Srivastava said the institution sees science as "a powerful enabler of change" and that the conference aims to bring together diverse stakeholders to explore solutions that are scientifically robust, socially relevant and implementable.
According to the organisers, discussions during the event will cover themes such as sustainable materials, green energy, environmental science, AI-driven sustainability and translational research. A major focus of the conference is strengthening the interface between academia and industry.
Student Engagement and Innovation
The event also includes several student-focused and public engagement activities such as coding competitions, poster-making, science quizzes, science slam sessions, three-minute talks, pitch presentations, debates, photography contests and short film competitions, they said.
A specialised instrumentation workshop is being held to give participants hands-on exposure to advanced scientific equipment and analytical techniques.
Conference convener and Hindu College professor Reena Jain said the event has received hundreds of submissions from across the country, with shortlisted participants presenting their work through oral and poster sessions.
She added that selected papers will be published in reputed Scopus-indexed Wiley journals, offering emerging researchers a valuable platform for academic recognition.
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