Pune: The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) successfully organized the inaugural RSC India Sustainability Forum 2026 at CSIR–National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), Pune, bringing together scientists, industry leaders, policymakers, academicians and early-career researchers under the theme “Advancing Sustainability through Chemistry”.
Co-hosted by CSIR-NCL and the Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET) Center, Gandhinagar, the day-long RSC India Sustainability Forum 2026 was held on September 9, 2026.
Dr. Venkatesh Sarvasiddhi, Managing Director, RSC India and South Asia, welcomed the dignitaries in his opening remarks and paid tribute to CSIR-NCL’s 75-year legacy of scientific excellence.
He said the RSC India Sustainability Forum 2026 is a step toward aligning India’s chemical sciences community with the country’s sustainability and Viksit Bharat 2047 goals.
The importance of the RSC–NCL–INFLIBNET partnership was highlighted through video messages by Dr Helen Pain, Chief Executive Officer, RSC, and Dr Ashish Lele, Director, CSIR-NCL.
One Nation One Subscription and Research Infrastructure
In her opening address, Dr. Devika Madalli, Director, INFLIBNET Center, spoke about the revolutionary effect of the government’s One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) scheme, which now covers over 6,300 institutions across the country. She also welcomed RSC’s entry as a content partner.
Dr. Vishal Choudhary, Scientist-F, Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, spoke about national initiatives including Science & Technology Clusters and the I-STEM research infrastructure portal, aimed at democratizing access to world-class research facilities.
The RSC India Sustainability Forum 2026 also highlighted the role of scientific research and infrastructure in advancing sustainability across India’s chemical sciences ecosystem.
CSIR-NCL Highlights Clean Energy, Hydrogen and Plastics Recycling
Dr. BLV Prasad, Chief Scientist, CSIR-NCL, highlighted the laboratory’s work on clean energy and hydrogen, continuous-flow chemical manufacturing, C1 chemistry and plastics recycling. He said these areas were central to India’s sustainability roadmap.
Professor Ananya Mukherjee, Vice Chancellor, Shiv Nadar University, spoke about scaling sustainability education across India’s higher-education ecosystem.
Mr. Salil Srivastava, Co-founder of Scimplify, presented an AI-enabled platform connecting chemistry research, manufacturing and global demand.
RSC India Sustainability Forum 2026: Panel Discussions Focus on Sustainable Chemistry
The RSC India Sustainability Forum 2026 featured two major panel discussions moderated by Prof. Sourav Pal of Ashoka University and Elizabeth Woods of RSC UK.
The first panel, titled “From lab to industry: Practicing Sustainability in Chemistry”, brought together voices from academia and industry for a discussion on systems thinking, translational research and the gap between laboratory discovery and industrial scale-up.
The panel featured Dr. Achala Danait of Somaiya Vidyavihar University, Ghanshyam Deshpande of Praj Industries, Professor Sebastian C. Peter of JNCASR Bengaluru, Prof. Ranjan Banerjee of Nayanta University, Prof. Rekha Singhal of the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, and Prof. S. Sivaram of IISER Pune.
The second panel, “Accelerating Sustainable Innovation: Connecting Research with Industry for Impact”, focused on why awareness of sustainability has not yet translated into faster adoption.
The panelists included Dr. Avinash Kumbhar of Pune Knowledge Cluster, Dr P. Raveendran of the University of Calicut, Rajesh Ramkrishna Jadhao of Pidilite Industries, Professor Shobha Shukla of IIT Bombay, Dr. Vilas H. Dahanukar of Proexp Pharma and Dr. Venkata P. Palle of Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company.
The discussion highlighted regulatory hurdles, funding models, risk aversion and the role of AI as an accelerator for research.
RSC Sustainability Strategy and Global Impact
Dr. Jo Reynolds, Director of Global Impact, RSC, delivered a virtual keynote titled “RSC’s Sustainability Strategy: Advancing Sustainable Chemistry for Global Impact”.
She described the Society’s three-horizon sustainability strategy and its work on the UN Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution.
The afternoon session at the RSC India Sustainability Forum 2026 focused on the Society’s inclusion and diversity strategy and was led by Dr. Alejandra Palermo FRSC, RSC’s Global Head of Inclusion.
Sustainability Recognition and Fellowship Ceremonies
The forum also featured three recognition ceremonies.
- The She Leads Sustainability award, a new initiative from the RSC West India Chapter, recognized women researchers driving sustainable innovation across the region.
- The Chemistry for Sustainability: Emerging Researcher Award was presented to seven young scientists from institutions including IIT Kanpur, IISc Bangalore, NCL, MNNIT and CFTRI. The program was sponsored by Pidilite Industries.
The event also included RSC Fellowship recognition for senior chemists in the Pune region, presented by Hillary White, Head of Global Membership, RSC.
RSC India Sustainability Forum 2026 Described as Beginning of Conversation
Delivering the closing address virtually, Paul French, Chief Commercial Officer, RSC UK, described the forum as “the beginning of a conversation” rather than a one-off event.
He emphasised the importance of partnerships among research, industry, education and government in translating chemistry into sustainable outcomes.
Dr. Sunita Barve, Head, KRC/Library, CSIR-NCL, delivered the vote of thanks and acknowledged the extensive efforts behind the organization of the forum.
The organization of the RSC India Sustainability Forum 2026 included contributions from RSC India staff, CSIR-NCL divisions and 25 students.
