CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute

What CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute does

CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute (CSIR-NGRI), established in 1961 under the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) of India's Ministry of Science & Technology, is the nation's premier government laboratory dedicated to multidisciplinary research in earth system structure and processes. Headquartered in Hyderabad with satellite observatories across India (Hanle-Ladakh, Choutuppal, Lakshadweep, Andaman-Nicobar, Kumaun Himalaya), NGRI conducts public-good science in geodynamics, earthquake hazards, and natural resource assessment, operating 21 R&D activity areas across five major groups staffed by 95 qualified scientists, an equivalent number of technical staff, 150 project researchers, and 50 PhD students.

The institute's technical core spans seismology, magnetotellurics, controlled source seismics, gravity and magnetics, geochemistry, geochronology, paleomagnetism, geomagnetism, airborne geophysics, shallow subsurface geophysics, rock mechanics, hydrochemistry, paleo-environmental studies, and earth process modeling. It runs an extensive observational infrastructure including the HYB Seismological Observatory (since 1967), ~150 permanent GPS stations, broadband seismograph arrays in the Himalayas and Koyna-Warna region, the INTERMAGNET-affiliated Hyderabad Geomagnetism Observatory, and indigenous airborne, ground, and borehole geophysical instrumentation. Outputs include the flagship Gravity Map of India (2006), indigenous methods for gas hydrate delineation in offshore basins, and patented techniques such as the Fractal Geometry Modeling method (US patent). More recent capabilities include AI/ML-based seismic signal classification for landslide early warning and quantum-computing research in seismic data analysis.

NGRI's revenue model is non-commercial: it is funded primarily through federal budgetary allocations via CSIR, MoES, and DST, supplemented by industry-sponsored collaborative research with public-sector undertakings (ONGC, OIL, Coal India, HZL, NMDC, Hutti Gold Mines) and international partnerships (notably GEOMAR Germany for CO2 sequestration). It serves government agencies, oil and gas, mining, infrastructure owners, water resource managers, and academic institutions. Distribution occurs through research collaborations, advisory services, academic training (AcSIR PhD program, post-doctoral fellowships, skill development under India's Skill India program), scientific publications, and operational deployment for disaster response with NDRF, the Indian Army, and Navy.

Name

CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute

Legal name

National Geophysical Research Institute

Website

https://ngri.res.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute is India's premier government geophysical research laboratory under CSIR, conducting earth systems science across seismology, magnetotellurics, geodynamics, and natural resources, serving federal agencies, PSUs, and industry with public-good research since 1961.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geophysical Research Services

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Oil & Gas Field Exploration Services (1382)

akta.pro primary industry

Mineral Exploration & Geoscience Services (Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Resource Modeling) (IMAKAKAA)

Keywords

• Geophysical research
• Seismological monitoring
• Earthquake hazard assessment
• Mineral exploration surveys
• Groundwater assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Hyderabad

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: As a constituent research laboratory of CSIR, NGRI receives government funding for research in multidisciplinary areas of Earth system structure and processes. Funded by federal agencies including CSIR, MoES, DST, and industry collaborations.
2. Industry Sponsored Research: Active collaborations with industry for exploration programs in minerals, hydrocarbons, and groundwater including projects with ONGC, OIL, HZL, Hutti Gold Mines, and National Mineral Development Corporation.
3. Analytical Services: Provides high-quality analytical data and periodic training on analytical instrumentation to young researchers nationwide and contributes to skill development initiatives.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CSIR-NGRI is a multidisciplinary earth systems research institute conducting fundamental and applied research in geophysics, seismology, geodynamics, natural hazards, groundwater, hydrocarbon, and mineral exploration. The institute operates nationwide observational networks (seismological observatories, GPS/GNSS stations, MT sites), conducts airborne and ground geophysical surveys, and provides analytical services and consultancy to government agencies and industry partners. It is organized across 5 R&D groups covering 21 activity areas and functions as a public-good science institution.

Product overview

CSIR-NGRI operates as a multidisciplinary earth systems research institute with 21 specialized R&D groups organized under three thematic areas: Geodynamics (fundamental Earth processes), Earthquake Hazards (seismic risk and environmental assessment), and Natural Resources (groundwater, hydrocarbons, minerals). The institute functions as a research infrastructure provider rather than a product company, offering specialized geophysical research services and observational networks. Key offerings include seismological observatories for earthquake monitoring, controlled source seismic studies for crustal mapping, gas hydrate research, dam seismic monitoring services, GPS/GNSS networks for crustal deformation, magnetotelluric surveys for lithospheric studies, heliborne geophysical surveys for mineral exploration, groundwater aquifer mapping, CO2 sequestration assessment, and planetary sciences research. The institute collaborates with national agencies (ONGC, OIL, GSI, ISRO) and international partners (GEOMAR Germany) on various research programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Seismological Observatory Services (HYB Observatory)
• Controlled Source Seismic Studies

Quantifiable outcome

• Discovered X-Discontinuity in Indian shield - first definitive evidence for anomalous thinness and high velocity of Indian plate
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 March 2025NDRF collaborating with NGRI experts during Telangana tunnel collapse rescue operations in February-March 2025. NGRI providing technical expertise in locating human presence amid challenging conditions.
• Indian ArmycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 March 2025Indian Army collaborating in rescue operations at SLBC tunnel, Telangana, alongside NGRI experts providing geophysical expertise.
• Indian NavycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 March 2025Indian Navy divers and personnel collaborating with NGRI in the rescue operation at the partially collapsed tunnel.
• Geological Survey of IndiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 March 2025GSI experts collaborating with NGRI scientists on rescue operations and technical assessments during tunnel collapse incident.
• Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaboration for hydrocarbon exploration including deep crustal structure studies and deep seismic sounding programs. Supported various MT and DSS projects.
• Oil India Limited (OIL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative projects for exploration including chronostratigraphic and provenance analysis from exploratory borewells.
• Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSuccessful mineral exploration programs for Pb-Zn conducted in Rajasthan in collaboration with HZL.
• Hutti Gold Mines Company LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative gold exploration programs conducted in Karnataka.
• National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration for gold exploration in Madagascar with NMDC.
• Mineral Sales Pvt. LimitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry collaboration for gold exploration activities.
• Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMDER)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative uranium exploration program for over 20 years, acquiring 180,000 line-km of multi-parameter data (EM, Magnetics, Radiometric) across various parts of India.
• GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research (Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration on PERBAS project - multinational initiative for CO2 sequestration in basaltic rocks. CSIR-NGRI serves as national coordinator in India.
• Coal India Limited - CMPDIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Raniganj coal block project for CO2 storage potential assessment and coal seam mapping.
• IIEST ShibpurminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic collaboration for 3D seismic data acquisition and characterization in Patratu block.
• Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerONGC supporting Gandhar field project for CO2 storage feasibility study in Cambay Basin.
• Geological Survey of IndiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative preparation of Gravity Map of India (2006) along with Survey of India, ONGC, and OIL.
• Survey of IndiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in collaborative Gravity Map of India preparation.
• CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister CSIR laboratory collaboration, with Director of NIO serving on NGRI's Research Council.
• Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization - NGRI is a constituent research laboratory of CSIR.
• International Centre for Water Resources DevelopmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative studies on water resources management.
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNDP Project at NGRI (1983-86) under Dr. Hari Narain's chairmanship, producing many publications on mineral resources of Cudappah region.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): The U.S. national geological survey with comparable earth-science mandates covering seismology, mineral resources, geomagnetism, and hydrology. USGS is a natural functional counterpart to NGRI in terms of mission, scale, and breadth of earth-systems research, even though its funding and governance model differs.
• Geoscience Australia: Australia's national geoscience agency delivering seismic monitoring, mineral exploration support, groundwater assessment, and earth-observation analytics. Comparable in mission breadth and public-good orientation to NGRI's India-mandated programs.
• British Geological Survey (BGS): The UK's national geoscience institute with comparable research themes in seismology, geophysics, groundwater, and minerals. BGS operates a similar publicly funded, multi-decade research mandate and serves as a model national institute analogous to NGRI.

Emerging players

• Schlumberger (SLB): Global oilfield services leader with major geophysics and seismic processing capabilities that interact with NGRI on hydrocarbon exploration programs (e.g., ONGC joint studies). SLB is a private-sector counterpart for the commercial side of the same geoscience problems NGRI tackles.
• TGS: Provider of multi-client geophysical data, particularly seismic and magnetic datasets for oil and gas E&P. Functionally comparable to NGRI's airborne geophysical and seismic data acquisition activities that feed national programs.
• Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS): A consortium of U.S. universities operating global seismological networks and open data archives. Comparable to NGRI's HYB observatory and broadband seismic deployments in terms of network management, data curation, and dissemination.
• CGG: France-headquartered geoscience company specializing in seismic imaging, subsurface characterization, and multi-client data libraries. Overlaps with NGRI's controlled-source seismic and reservoir characterization work on the commercial side of the industry.

Direct peers

• CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO): Sister CSIR laboratory with overlapping earth-systems and marine geophysics research, including gas hydrate, ocean seismics, and coastal hazards. NIO's Director sits on NGRI's Research Council, reflecting tight programmatic alignment.
• Geological Survey of India (GSI): India's apex geological and geophysical survey organization under the Ministry of Mines. GSI operates overlapping mandates in mineral exploration, seismotectonics, and geophysical mapping, and explicitly collaborates with NGRI on initiatives such as the Gravity Map of India and Telangana tunnel rescue operations.

Regional players

• GNS Science (New Zealand): New Zealand's Crown Research Institute for earth sciences with strong capability in seismology, volcanology, and geological hazards. Operates a similar model of government-funded multidisciplinary geoscience research for a single country.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/csirngri
• Facebookfacebook.com/csirngrihyd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-geophysical-research-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute