New Delhi: The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR) have announced a strategic partnership to advance doctoral research in earth system sciences, bringing together MoES’s research infrastructure and scientific expertise with AcSIR’s academic framework.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was declared during a ceremony held on October 13, 2026, at Prithvi Bhawan Headquarters in New Delhi.
Under the partnership, all ten premier research institutes under MoES have been recognized as AcSIR Associated Research Institutes (AcSIR-ARIs).
The institutional collaboration will facilitate doctoral (PhD) programs across diverse domains of earth system sciences, including atmospheric, ocean and polar sciences.
The partnership is designed to combine the advanced research facilities and scientific expertise of MoES institutions with AcSIR’s flexible academic framework.
The MoU was executed on August 21, 2026, and signed by Dr. Praveen Kumar D., Scientist-G and Mission Director (Mission Mausam), on behalf of MoES, and Prof. Manoj Kumar Dhar, Director, AcSIR.
The official declaration and document exchange took place in the presence of the Secretary, MoES, along with senior officials and directors from both organizations.
MoES and AcSIR Establish Collaborative Research Ecosystem
The Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Dr. Srinivasa Kumar Tummala, underscored the importance of collaborative research and academic partnerships while addressing the major national initiative between MoES and AcSIR.
The partnership connects MoES and its ten institutions with AcSIR to establish a unified ecosystem for advanced scientific research and educational capacity building across oceanography, atmospheric sciences, hydrology and planetary systems.
“I am sure MoES will be a big beneficiary – us, our institutions, our scientists, and the students who are actually engaging with earth sciences,” stated the Secretary, MoES.
“We really look forward to working with all institutions and their headquarters. We will ensure that this becomes a great association going forward for the benefit of the entire earth science faculty, science, and technology researchers.”
The collaboration is aimed at fostering interdisciplinary research, streamlining resource and infrastructure sharing among national laboratories, and providing upgraded academic opportunities for early-career scientists and students pursuing research in earth system sciences.
Ten MoES Institutes Recognized as AcSIR-ARIs
As part of the partnership, all ten MoES institutes are now operational as AcSIR Associated Research Institutes (AcSIR-ARIs). This nationwide network will support doctoral research and academic activities across specialized areas of earth system sciences.
Students selected under AcSIR’s PhD program will conduct their research at MoES institutes under the supervision of MoES scientists recognized as AcSIR faculty.
AcSIR will award the doctoral degree, with the host institute explicitly referenced on the degree certificate.
All ten institutes are participating in AcSIR’s latest PhD enrolment cycle. Nodal AcSIR Coordinators have been appointed at each institute, along with a Central Coordinator at MoES, to streamline academic operations under the partnership.
Research Opportunities Across Earth System Sciences
The collaboration opens doctoral research opportunities across a broad range of specialized fields within earth system sciences.
These areas include weather forecasting and climate services, numerical weather prediction, polar and cryosphere research, ocean observation and marine robotics, deep-sea mining and desalination, seismology and earthquake hazard assessment, coastal processes, marine living resources, and AI/ML applications in earth sciences.
The partnership will also support research spanning atmospheric sciences, oceanography, hydrology and planetary systems, providing an integrated framework for advanced scientific research and educational capacity building in earth system sciences.
Intellectual Property Rights Framework
The partnership also establishes an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) framework for research conducted under the collaboration. IPR generated from the research will ensure that the student is credited as the inventor, while jointly generated intellectual property will be shared mutually.
Through the MoU, MoES and AcSIR have brought together their institutional capabilities to strengthen doctoral research, academic opportunities and interdisciplinary scientific work across earth system sciences and related research domains.
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