The Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) is an Indian

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmental o ...

based in

Bengaluru Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

. Its research is consolidated into five sectors:

Climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologi ...

, Environment and

Sustainability Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livin ...

; Energy and Power; AI and Digital Platforms; Strategic Studies; and Computational Tools.

History

CSTEP was founded in 2005 by Dr V. S. R. Arunachalam, former Scientific Advisor to India's Defence Minister (1982-1992) and former head of

DRDO The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) (IAST: ''Raksā Anūsandhān Evam Vikās Sangaṭhan'') is the premier agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in Ministry of Defence of the Government of India, ...

, along with Professor P Rama Rao. Dr Anshu Bharadwaj, a former

IAS IAS may refer to: Science * Institute for Advanced Study, in Princeton, New Jersey, United States * Image Analysis & Stereology, the official journal of the International Society for Stereology & Image Analysis. * Iowa Archeological Society, Un ...

officer, was the first Executive Director from 2009-2020 before being succeeded by Dr Jai Asundi. In 2008, CSTEP received its first grant from Shri Sivasubramaniya Nadar Educational and Charitable Trust to conduct studies in energy. In 2018 the organization set up the Centre for Air Pollution Studies (CAPS) and launched the Artificial Intelligence & Digital Labs.

Staff

In 2022, CSTEP employed 126 people in fields such as science and engineering, policy, economics, IT, management, and communication. As of 2022 its chairman is its founder Dr. Arunachalam and its Executive Director is Dr. Jai Asundi (2020 onwards).

Location

CSTEP was founded in Arunachalam's residence in

and later worked out of the CAIR (DRDO) office on Infantry Road, Bengaluru. As of 2022, CSTEP operates out of two locations, with one office in Bengaluru and another in

Noida Noida, short for New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, is a planned city located in Gautam Buddha Nagar district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Noida is a satellite city of Delhi and is a part of the National Capital Region (NCR) o ...

Activities

India Clean Air Summit

The India Clean Air Summit (ICAS) is CSTEP's flagship event on Air Pollution, organised by the Centre for Air Pollution Studies (CAPS).

Role of Science & Technology for Society

In March 2020, CSTEP initiated a Discussion Series on the Role of Science & Technology for Society, with the stated aim of making "science accessible to citizens to find sustainable solutions for India's developmental challenges". The first event of the series was woven around the launch of Dr Arunachalam's book ‘From Temples to Turbines: An Adventure in Two Worlds’. The Chief Designer of LCA Tejas,

Kota Harinarayana Kota Harinarayana (born 1943 in Brahmapur, Odisha) is an aviation engineer. He was born in Brahmapur on the border of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh into a Telugu speaking family. He was appointed as chairman of the board of governors of IIT (BHU) ...

, and former Chief Secretary to the Government of Karnataka SV Ranganath, were the main speakers at the event.

India Energy Transformation Platform

CSTEP is the Secretariat for the India Energy Transformation Platform, a program created in 2018 to strategize on India's long-term energy future.

Funding

CSTEP is registered under Section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956 and receives grants from national and international foundations, industry trusts, and governments. It has received grants from foundations such as the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), OAK Foundation, Rohini & Nandan Nilekani Philanthropies,

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...

, United Nations Development Programme, the

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was l ...

, and many others.

Policy influence

It has been involved in a number of policy projects in collaboration with the Indian government as well as national and international organizations such as the

Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was l ...

, IBM, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, and the Planning Commission.

Collaborative projects

CSTEP has also collaborated with other organizations on various projects. It was one of the Indian organizations which participated in SERIIUS, a joint clean energy development program established by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

and the

US Department of Energy The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and manages the research and development of nuclear power and nuclear weapons in the United States ...

, as well as multiple projects with the European Union.

References

{{Reflist Think tanks based in India Think tanks established in 2005 2005 establishments in India