Menu

National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources

Overview

The National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (NISCAIR) was an institute under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Government of India, headquartered in New Delhi. It functioned as the principal Indian agency for science communication, scholarly publishing, and curation of information resources in science and technology. NISCAIR was formed in 2002 through the merger of two long-standing CSIR units, and was later restructured in 2021 into a new entity.

Key facts

Name National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (NISCAIR)
Type Information science and science communication institute
Parent body Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
Founded 30 September 2002
Formed by merger of NISCOM and INSDOC
Headquarters New Delhi, India
Successor CSIR–National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (NIScPR), 2021

Background

NISCAIR was created by merging two earlier CSIR organisations:

  • National Institute of Science Communication (NISCOM), which had its origins in the Publications and Information Directorate (PID) established in 1951 to publish scientific journals, popular science magazines, and reference works such as The Wealth of India.
  • Indian National Scientific Documentation Centre (INSDOC), set up in 1952 with assistance from UNESCO to provide documentation, translation, and library services to the Indian scientific community.

The merger was carried out to consolidate CSIR's activities in scholarly publishing, science popularisation, and scientific information services within a single institution.

Activities

NISCAIR's main areas of work included:

  • Scholarly publishing: Production of a large family of peer-reviewed research journals across the natural sciences, engineering, and traditional knowledge, including titles such as the Indian Journal of Chemistry, Indian Journal of Pure and Applied Physics, Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research, and the Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge.
  • Popular science: Publication of magazines aimed at students and general readers, such as Science Reporter (English), Vigyan Pragati (Hindi), and Science Ki Duniya (Urdu).
  • Reference works: Continued compilation and revision of The Wealth of India, an encyclopaedic dictionary of India's raw material resources.
  • Information services: Library and documentation services, bibliographic databases, and translation support for the scientific community.
  • Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL): NISCAIR collaborated with the Department of AYUSH on the TKDL initiative, which documented Indian traditional medicine systems to prevent misappropriation through patents abroad.
  • Training: Postgraduate programmes in library and information science and short-term courses in science communication.

Timeline

  • 1951: Publications and Information Directorate (PID) established under CSIR.
  • 1952: INSDOC founded with UNESCO support.
  • 1996: PID renamed as National Institute of Science Communication (NISCOM).
  • 30 September 2002: NISCOM and INSDOC merged to form NISCAIR.
  • 2021: NISCAIR merged with the CSIR National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies (NISTADS) to form the CSIR–National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (NIScPR).

Significance

For nearly two decades, NISCAIR served as the central Indian institution for the dissemination of scientific knowledge through journals, popular publications, and information products. Its role in maintaining open-access CSIR research journals made it an important hub for Indian scholarly communication, while its work on the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library had international significance in protecting India's traditional knowledge heritage in patent examination.

References

  • Wikidata entry: Q6954371
  • Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, official communications on the formation of NISCAIR (2002) and NIScPR (2021).