CSIR Fourth Paradigm Institute - India

What CSIR Fourth Paradigm Institute - India does

CSIR Fourth Paradigm Institute (CSIR-4PI), recently renamed CSIR National Institute of Data Science and AI (CSIR-NIDSA), is a constituent laboratory of India's Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) under the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. Founded in 1988 (formerly C-MMACS) and headquartered on the NAL Belur Campus in Bangalore, the institute functions as a horizontal data science and AI capability provider across CSIR's 38-laboratory network, conducting interdisciplinary research in atmospheric and climate modeling, earthquake engineering, GNSS-based ionospheric studies, cybersecurity, speech and language processing, and generative AI. It operates India's fastest supercomputer, CHAMP, alongside HPC infrastructure for large-scale simulations and data-intensive research, with approximately 70 specialized staff including senior principal scientists and PhD researchers from premier Indian institutions.

The institute's research output rests on proprietary modeling frameworks including WRF, CESM, and RegCM for weather and climate simulation; physics-informed earthquake risk models for the Himalayas and beyond; GNSS-derived Total Electron Content analysis for ionospheric and seismic studies; AI-enabled VANET security solutions; and speech/language systems with uncertainty estimation. It holds multiple granted patents in network security (US Patent 10129294 B2 on SCTP malicious receiver detection, Indian Patent 2021 on SACK spoofing, Indian Patent 2024 on MPTCP robustness) and a filed patent in speech annotation. It delivers research consultancy in seismic hazard assessment, structural engineering, climate modeling, and cybersecurity, while running PhD programs through the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), the SPARK student research program, and the Jigyasa science outreach initiative.

The institute operates on a non-commercial government funding model. Primary revenue derives from CSIR's central allocation to constituent laboratories, supplemented by sponsored research from DST, ISRO, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Ministry of Agriculture, and other government ministries. Secondary revenue streams include corporate CSR investment in R&D, AcSIR program fees, patent licensing, and consultancy services. As a government entity, CSIR-4PI does not employ commercial marketing or distribution channels; instead, it engages clients through institutional partnerships (14+ active MoUs with universities and research bodies), peer-reviewed research publications, academic programs, and direct government engagement. Customer segments are predominantly public-sector: the CSIR network, national research agencies, academic institutions, and a smaller pool of CSR-funded corporate engagements.

Name

CSIR Fourth Paradigm Institute - India

Legal name

CSIR Fourth Paradigm Institute

Website

https://csir4pi.res.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CSIR Fourth Paradigm Institute (now CSIR-NIDSA) is a government research laboratory under India's CSIR providing data science, AI, atmospheric modeling, earthquake engineering, and cybersecurity research to government ministries, academic institutions, and the broader CSIR network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bangalore, Karnataka

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: Primary revenue from CSIR (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. CSIR allocates budget to constituent laboratories for conducting research aligned with national priorities.
2. Sponsored Research Projects: Funding from various government agencies including DST, ISRO, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Ministry of Agriculture, and other ministries for specific research projects and programs.
3. Corporate CSR Investment: CSIR-4PI actively welcomes corporates to invest CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) funds in R&D of the institute. Contact: Business Development unit.
4. AcSIR Academic Programs: Revenue from PhD programs conducted under Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), including program fees for doctoral and master's level research training.
5. Technology Licensing and Consultancy: Patents are available for licensing and commercial exploitation. The institute also provides research consultancy services across domains including structural engineering, seismic hazard assessment, cybersecurity, and climate modeling.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CSIR Fourth Paradigm Institute (recently renamed CSIR National Institute of Data Science and AI / CSIR-NIDSA) is a constituent laboratory of CSIR, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. It conducts interdisciplinary research and offers research services and consultancy in data science, artificial intelligence, atmospheric and climate modeling, earthquake engineering, cybersecurity, agricultural analytics, speech and language processing, and computational sciences. It also runs PhD academic programs through AcSIR and licenses patented technologies.

Product overview

CSIR Fourth Paradigm Institute (CSIR-4PI), recently renamed CSIR National Institute of Data Science and AI (CSIR-NIDSA), is a constituent laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research under the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. The institute focuses on data-driven interdisciplinary research, offering academic programs through AcSIR (PhD in engineering and science), the SPARK student research program, and Jigyasa skill development initiatives. As a horizontal technology institute across CSIR themes, it provides research services and consultancy in big data, artificial intelligence, atmospheric and climate modeling, earthquake engineering, cybersecurity, and computational sciences. The institute does not offer commercial software products but provides research infrastructure, expertise, and collaborative research services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• C-MMACS: Former name of CSIR-4PI (CSIR Centre for Mathematical Modelling and Computer Simulation)

Products and services

• Research Services and Consultancy Expert research consultancy services in earthquake engineering, atmospheric modeling, cybersecurity, climate science, and structural engineering, including structural stability assessments, seismic hazard analysis, and climate modeling services for government agencies and corporate clients.
• AcSIR PhD Programs Doctoral programs in engineering and science offered through Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR) at CSIR-4PI covering data science, AI, atmospheric science, earthquake engineering, cybersecurity, and related disciplines.
• Technology Licensing (Patents) Patents available for licensing and commercial exploitation in domains including network security (SCTP, MPTCP attack detection) and speech annotation systems.
• SPARK (Student Programme for Advancement in Research Knowledge) Program providing motivated students from reputed universities an opportunity to carry out major project/thesis work and advance research knowledge in mathematical modelling and simulation of complex systems at CSIR-4PI.

Quantifiable outcome

• Mean percentage errors of simulated maximum temperatures: 1.6% (ISRO data) and 3% (USGS data) on 25th May 2015; 4.2% (ISRO) and 4.7% (USGS) on 26th May 2015 — outperforming USGS-based simulations with ISRO land-use data.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability10 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 April 2024MoU between CSIR-4PI & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, dated 5th April 2024. Collaboration on agricultural modeling and crop yield prediction research.
• Kerala Agricultural UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 January 2024MoU between CSIR-4PI & Kerala Agricultural University, dated 2nd January 2024. Collaboration on agricultural research and data analytics applications.
• National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF)coreTechnology or Integration · 13 July 2023MoU between CSIR-4PI & NATIONAL CENTRE FOR MEDIUM RANGE WEATHER FORECASTING, dated 13th July 2023. Strategic collaboration in weather forecasting research and modeling.
• National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK), SurathkalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 July 2023MoU between CSIR-4PI & NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY KARNATAKA, SURATHKAL, dated 13th July 2023. Academic and research collaboration with premier engineering institution.
• National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 May 2023Addendum between CSIR-4PI & National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), dated 26th May 2023. Extended collaboration on ocean technology and marine research applications.
• Shiksha 'O' Anusandhan Deemed to be University (SOADU), Bhubaneswar, OdishaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 June 2022MoU between CSIR-4PI & Shiksha 'O' Anusandhan Deemed to be University (SOADU), Bhubaneswar, Odisha, dated 8th June 2022. Academic research collaboration.
• Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, Department of RevenuecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 April 2022MoU between CSIR-4PI & Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, Department of Revenue (Disaster Management), dated 5th April 2022. Collaboration on natural disaster monitoring and modeling.
• Dr. Y.S.R. Horticultural University (YSRHU), Andhra PradeshminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 July 2021MoU between CSIR-4PI & Dr. Y.S.R. Horticultural University (YSRHU), Venkataramannagudem, West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh for Collaborative Research, dated 14th July 2021. Focuses on agricultural and horticultural research applications.
• Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering (DSCE), BengaluruminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 March 2021MoU between CSIR-4PI & Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering (DSCE) Bengaluru, dated 12th March 2021. Academic collaboration for research and student engagement.
• Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), BangalorecoreTechnology or Integration · 28 January 2021MoU between CSIR-4PI Bangalore, India & Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bangalore for Operation & Maintenance of Measurement Stations, dated 28th January 2021. Involves collaborative operation and maintenance of scientific measurement stations.
• University of Kashmir (UOK)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 January 2021MoU between CSIR-4PI Bangalore, India & University of Kashmir (UOK), Hazratbal, Srinagar for Research Collaboration, dated 12th January 2021. Focuses on joint research activities between the two institutions.
• Data Security Council of India (DSCI), NoidacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 December 2020MoU between CSIR-4PI Bangalore, India & Data Security Council of India (DSCI), Noida for collaboration for conducting joint programs on Cybersecurity and Privacy, dated 3rd December 2020. Focuses on joint programs in cybersecurity and privacy.
• Pondicherry UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 September 2010MoU between CSIR-4PI & Pondicherry University for Maintenance of CO2 Monitoring Station, dated 20th September 2010 (renewed 30th September 2022). Involves collaborative maintenance of atmospheric CO2 monitoring station.
• University of Agricultural Sciences Bengaluru (UASB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAddendum between CSIR-4PI & University of Agricultural Sciences Bengaluru. Collaboration on agricultural data science and modeling applications.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO): ISRO is India's national space agency with extensive atmospheric, GNSS, and earth observation research. Comparable in atmospheric modeling, GNSS ionospheric research, and scientific computing; multiple CSIR-4PI senior scientists have prior ISRO backgrounds (SAC, VSSC).
• Indian Institute of Science (IISc): IISc Bangalore is India's premier research university with broad science and engineering research. Comparable as a top-tier research institution in Bangalore with overlapping faculty/staff, and the CSIR-4PI Director (Dr. Sridevi Jade) is a Distinguished Alumnus of IISc.

Direct peers

• Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC): C-DAC is India's premier HPC and computational research organization. Comparable to CSIR-4PI in supercomputing infrastructure, AI/ML research, and high-performance computing capabilities, with overlapping mandate in advancing India's compute capacity.
• Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM): IITM Pune is India's premier atmospheric and climate research institution under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. Directly comparable to CSIR-4PI in core research focus on monsoon dynamics, climate modeling, and atmospheric sciences, with overlapping talent (Dr. Konatham Prasanna moved from IITM Pune to CSIR-4PI).
• National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS): NCESS is an earth science research institute under Ministry of Earth Sciences focusing on coastal and atmospheric research. Comparable to CSIR-4PI's earth science research and a former employer of CSIR-4PI senior scientist Dr. Gayathri R.
• National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI): CSIR-NGRI is a sister CSIR laboratory focused on geophysics, seismology, and earthquake research. Directly comparable in earthquake science, GNSS research, and CSIR institutional structure, with documented cross-mobility of researchers between the two labs.
• National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF): NCMRWF operates under India's Ministry of Earth Sciences providing medium-range weather forecasts using HPC and numerical models. Comparable to CSIR-4PI's atmospheric modeling work, and the two already collaborate through a formal MoU on weather forecasting research.
• IIIT Hyderabad: IIIT Hyderabad is a leading AI, ML, and robotics research institution in India. Comparable in AI/ML research focus and a notable source of CSIR-4PI hires (e.g., Nallana Mithun Babu from IIIT Hyderabad Robotics Research Center).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/csir_4pi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/csir-fourth-paradigm-institute---india

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CSIR Fourth Paradigm Institute - India