Department Of Scientific And Industrial Research (Dsir)

What Department Of Scientific And Industrial Research (Dsir) does

The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) is a department of the Government of India operating under the Ministry of Science and Technology, headquartered at Anusandhan Bhavan, 2 Rafi Marg, New Delhi. Formally constituted on January 4, 1985 via Presidential Notification (164th Amendment to the Government of India Allocation of Business Rules, 1961), DSIR is the sole prescribed authority under Section 35(2AB) of the Income Tax Act for granting fiscal incentives on industrial R&D expenditure and the only government body mandated to benchmark industrial R&D in India. Its portfolio comprises recognition schemes (RDI for corporate in-house R&D units, SIRO for voluntary non-commercial research organizations), registration (PFRI for universities and IITs), fiscal incentives (weighted 200% tax deduction on scientific research), grant programs (PACE, PRISM, CRTDHs, TDUPW, A2K+), and an Online Application Submission portal integrated with the Service Plus government infrastructure. DSIR does not sell products or services commercially; its funding comes from annual Government of India budget allocations.

DSIR's operational reach is delivered through a network of wholly-owned and affiliated institutions: CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, established 1942) operates 37 national laboratories, 39 outreach centres, one innovation complex, and three specialized units with over 7,000 staff; NRDC (National Research Development Corporation, 1953) handles technology commercialization and royalty collection; CEL (Central Electronics Limited, 1974), a Mini Ratna Category-I PSU, operates in defence electronics, solar photovoltaics, and railway safety; and APCTT (Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology) serves as a UN-ESCAP regional institution for Asia-Pacific technology transfer. The department serves a diversified beneficiary base spanning corporate industries, publicly funded research institutions, MSMEs, individual innovators, and women entrepreneurs, with applications processed via the digital Service Plus portal. Leadership comprises Dr. Jitendra Singh (Minister of State, Independent Charge) and Dr. N. Kalaiselvi (Secretary, DSIR and Director General, CSIR), supported by a cadre of Scientists (D through G grade) and administrative officers at Technology Bhavan, New Mehrauli Road.

Name

Department Of Scientific And Industrial Research (Dsir)

Legal name

Department of Scientific and Industrial Research

Website

https://dsir.gov.in

Company type

Public

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DSIR is a Government of India department under the Ministry of Science and Technology that provides recognition, registration, fiscal incentives, and grants to promote industrial R&D across corporates, universities, MSMEs, and startups in India.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government R&D Promotion

NAICS

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921), Public Administration (92)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Development & ICT4D / GovTech Technical Assistance (BPADAEAL)

Keywords

• R&D recognition schemes
• Industrial research promotion
• Technology transfer services
• Scientific research funding
• Fiscal R&D incentives

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government Budget Allocation: DSIR is a government department funded through annual budget allocations from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. It does not generate commercial revenue but disburses grants-in-aid to supported institutions and implements fiscal incentive schemes for R&D promotion.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

DSIR is a government department under the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India that administers statutory recognition, registration, fiscal incentives, technology transfer facilitation, and grant support schemes for in-house R&D units in industry, scientific and industrial research organisations (SIROs), and publicly funded research institutions (PFRIs). It functions as the central authority approving eligibility for R&D-related tax benefits and as a grant administrator funding applied research, innovation, and technology development in India's industrial and scientific ecosystem.

Product overview

DSIR operates as a government department under the Ministry of Science and Technology, offering a portfolio of recognition, registration, and incentive schemes rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include: Recognition of In-house R&D Units (RDI) and Scientific and Industrial Research Organizations (SIRO) for corporate and voluntary organizations; Public Funded Research Institutions (PFRI) registration for universities and academic institutions; Fiscal Incentives (FI) providing tax benefits for R&D expenditure under Section 35(2AB) of the IT Act; Access to Knowledge for Technology Development and Dissemination (A2K+) supporting studies, events, and women's technology programs; Common Research and Technology Development Hubs (CRTDHs) providing shared R&D facilities for MSMEs; Patent Acquisition and Collaborative Research and Technology Development (PACE) for technology commercialization; Promoting Innovations in Individuals, Start-ups and MSMEs (PRISM) for individual innovators; and Knowledge to Equity for technology transfer from publicly funded research. Applications are processed through an Online Application Submission portal integrated with the government Service Plus platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Recognition of In-house R&D Units (RDI) Statutory recognition granted to industrial firms operating dedicated in-house scientific and technological R&D units; recognition is a prerequisite to access fiscal R&D incentives in India.
• SIRO Recognition Formal recognition granted to non-profit, autonomous scientific and industrial research organisations, conferring eligibility for fiscal R&D incentives and grant support.
• PFRI Registration Registration of publicly funded research institutions and laboratories, enabling their participation in DSIR-administered grants and R&D recognition frameworks.
• Fiscal Incentives (FI) for R&D DSIR-managed fiscal incentives, including weighted deduction / FTI-linked benefits, available to recognised industrial R&D units (RDI) and SIROs for R&D expenditure.
• PACE — Promoting Academic Research Conversion to Enterprises Grant programme supporting proof-of-concept and translational research at academic and research institutions for technology commercialisation.
• PRISM — Promoting Innovations in Individuals, Startups and MSMEs Grant programme supporting innovators, startups, and MSMEs to develop proof-of-concept and market-ready innovations.
• CRTDHs — Common Research and Technology Development Hubs Network of common infrastructure hubs providing technology development, testing, validation, and training services to industry, especially startups and MSMEs.
• Technology Transfer Facilitation DSIR facilitates transfer of technologies developed in publicly funded research institutions to industry, providing matchmaking, IP, and licensing support.
• A2K+ — Access to Knowledge Plus Knowledge Dissemination Programme for dissemination of publicly funded R&D knowledge and outputs to industry, academia, and the broader innovation ecosystem.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 460 patents filed by CSIR network
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CEL - Central Electronics LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1974CEL is a Mini Ratna (Category-I) PSU under the Ministry of Science & Technology, established in 1974. It advances indigenous technology development and plays a significant role in high-impact sectors including Defence electronics, solar photovoltaics, and railway safety systems.
• NRDC - National Research Development CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1953NRDC is a Government of India enterprise established in 1953 and currently working under DSIR, Ministry of Science & Technology. Its objective is to develop, promote, and transfer technologies. NRDC collects lump sum royalties on behalf of DSIR from companies supported under TDDP schemes.
• CSIR - Council of Scientific and Industrial ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1942CSIR is India's premier R&D organization operating under DSIR with a strong nationwide presence. It focuses on research in aerospace, biotechnology, chemicals, energy, and environmental sciences. The network comprises 37 National Laboratories, 39 Outreach Centres, 1 Innovation Complex, and 3 specialized units, with over 7,000 staff. CSIR filed over 460 patents, underscoring its focus on innovation and excellence.
• APCTT - Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPCTT is a regional institution of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) servicing the Asia-Pacific region. It operates as a subsidiary body providing technology transfer services in the Asia-Pacific region.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Department of Science & Technology (DST), India: DST is India's primary S&T ministry and operates several overlapping grant and innovation programmes (e.g., Extramural R&D, NSTMIS, Technology Development Programmes), making it the closest Indian government peer to DSIR's industrial R&D promotion mandate.
• Innovate UK: Innovate UK is the UK's grant-making body for business-led R&D and innovation, administratively comparable to DSIR's PACE/PRISM/CRTDH schemes that fund industrial innovation and startup R&D projects.
• Department of Biotechnology (DBT), India: DBT funds biotech R&D at academic institutions and companies via schemes like BIRAC and Biotech Industry Research Assistance, competing with DSIR's PACE/PRISM/CRTDH schemes for industrial biotech and healthcare R&D applicants.
• Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), India: MeitY operates overlapping schemes such as C2S, TIDE, and Digital India R&D grants for IT, electronics, and emerging-tech companies, making it the most direct in-country competitor for DSIR's industrial R&D application pool.

Broad incumbents

• Fraunhofer Society: Fraunhofer runs Germany's network of applied research institutes that contract R&D for industry and government — comparable in scale and mission to CSIR's applied-research lab network operating under DSIR.
• Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR): CSIR is itself a subordinate agency under DSIR, running 37 national laboratories with 7,000+ researchers — functionally the largest single R&D executor within the DSIR ecosystem and the source of its patent pipeline.
• Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO): CSIRO is Australia's national science agency that combines in-house R&D execution, national laboratory management, and industry partnership programmes — structurally aligned with DSIR's combined policy + CSIR-style lab execution role.
• TÜBİTAK (Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey): TÜBİTAK is Turkey's national R&D funding and execution agency, combining grant administration, national lab management, and industry recognition — a near-direct international peer to the DSIR/CSIR combined mandate.
• National Science Foundation (NSF), USA: NSF is the closest international analogue to the DSIR/CSIR combined mandate: a government agency that funds and administers industrial and academic research recognition, grants, and large-scale research infrastructure in the United States.

Emerging players

• BIRAC (Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council): BIRAC operates under DBT as a dedicated industry-academia interface for biotech grants and equity — a narrower but functionally analogous version of DSIR's RDI/SIRO/CRTDH recognition-and-facilitation stack for industrial R&D.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dsirgov
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/department-of-scientific-and-industrial-research-dsir-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Department Of Scientific And Industrial Research (Dsir)