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6th RISE Conclave 2026 Opens at CSIR-IICB in Kolkata

Dr Jitendra Singh opened the 6th RISE Conclave 2026 at CSIR-IICB, Kolkata, built around a 4M framework of minerals, medicine, materials and machines.

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6th RISE Conclave 2026 Opens at CSIR-IICB in Kolkata

Why in News

On 6 September 2026 Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the 6th RISE Conclave 2026 at CSIR-IICB in Kolkata, a two-day meeting of four CSIR laboratories built around the 4M framework of minerals, medicine, materials and machines.

The 6th RISE Conclave 2026 opened in Kolkata on 6 September 2026. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh, addressed the inaugural session. The two-day meeting runs on 6 and 7 September at the CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (CSIR-IICB) in Salt Lake.

Who is holding it

Four laboratories of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research have organised the conclave jointly. They are CSIR-CGCRI, CSIR-IICB, CSIR-CMERI and CSIR-IMMT. The theme is 'Driving Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Viksit Bharat 2047'. Kolkata is the sixth host city; Mumbai, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru held the earlier editions.

The 4M framework

At the centre of the programme sits a framework the organisers call 4M. The letters stand for minerals, medicine, materials and machines, matching the strengths the four host laboratories bring. Each laboratory put its technologies on display for transfer, licensing and commercial use.

ItemNumber
Memoranda of UnderstandingEight
Technology transfer initiativesFour
Product launchesTwo
Facility inauguratedOne
Panel discussionsEight, with 67 panellists
Startups at the exhibitionAround 150

Who took part

The startup exhibition and the science and technology pavilion drew around 150 startups. About 300 startup representatives attended, along with another 150 delegates from incubation and innovation centres. Eight panels with 67 panellists covered drug discovery and affordable health care, manufacturing technology for MSMEs, materials-led innovation, the decarbonisation of steel and aluminium, critical minerals, science communication, science-driven startups, and traditional wisdom alongside modern innovation.

What the Minister said

Dr Jitendra Singh argued that India's startup base must spread past the big cities. More than half of the country's startups, he noted, do not come from metros, and young innovators in smaller towns often match or beat their big-city peers. He asked scientific institutions to travel to them rather than wait for them. He recalled Kolkata's scientific past through Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, Prof U. N. Brahmachari, Sir C. V. Raman and Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee. He also pointed to the Rs 1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation Fund and to the Anusandhan National Research Foundation as the instruments backing high-risk research.

Who else spoke

Dr N. Kalaiselvi, Director General of CSIR and Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, addressed the inaugural session. Dr Sharadwat Mukherjee, Minister-in-Charge of Health and Family Welfare in West Bengal, was the Guest of Honour. The directors of the four host laboratories were present. The valedictory session on 7 September carries an address by Dr Kalyan Chakraborti, the State's Science and Technology Minister.

Important Facts

Event6th RISE Conclave 2026
VenueCSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Salt Lake, Kolkata
Dates6 and 7 September 2026
ThemeDriving Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Viksit Bharat 2047
Inaugurated byDr Jitendra Singh, MoS (IC) for Science and Technology
OrganisersCSIR-CGCRI, CSIR-IICB, CSIR-CMERI and CSIR-IMMT
Framework4M: minerals, medicine, materials and machines
OutcomesEight MoUs, four technology transfers, two product launches, one facility inaugurated
Director General, CSIRDr N. Kalaiselvi, also Secretary, DSIR
Earlier editionsMumbai, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru

Exam Point of View

Remember the edition (sixth), the host city (Kolkata), the venue (CSIR-IICB, Salt Lake), the dates (6 and 7 September), the theme, the four organising CSIR laboratories, the 4M framework, the eight MoUs and four technology transfers, the 67 panellists, and that Dr N. Kalaiselvi is Director General of CSIR.

Practice Questions

Q1.Science & TechnologyEasy

In which city was the 6th RISE Conclave 2026 inaugurated on 6 September 2026?

  1. A.Bengaluru
  2. B.Kolkata
  3. C.Hyderabad
  4. D.Lucknow
Show answer

Correct answer: B. Kolkata

Explanation

The correct answer is Kolkata. The release says the sixth edition opened at the CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology in Salt Lake, Kolkata, and runs on 6 and 7 September. Every wrong option here is a real host city of an earlier edition, which is what makes them good distractors: the conclave has previously been held in Mumbai, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru, so options A, C and D each name a past venue rather than the present one. The Minister explained the practice of moving the platform around the country as a way of widening its reach and connecting scientific capability with innovators in different regions. He also gave a reason for choosing this particular city, recalling the scientific tradition associated with Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, Prof U. N. Brahmachari, Sir C. V. Raman and Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee. Remember the sequence of six cities in order; a paper setter can ask for any one of them.

Q2.Science & TechnologyMedium

The 4M framework at the centre of the RISE Conclave 2026 stands for which four areas?

  1. A.Minerals, Medicine, Materials and Machines
  2. B.Mining, Manufacturing, Metals and Mobility
  3. C.Minerals, Marine, Materials and Microchips
  4. D.Medicine, Metals, Manufacturing and Machines
Show answer

Correct answer: A. Minerals, Medicine, Materials and Machines

Explanation

The correct answer is minerals, medicine, materials and machines. The release places this 4M framework at the heart of the conclave and explains that the four words represent the complementary strengths of the four CSIR laboratories hosting it. Read the framework alongside the laboratories and it becomes easy to hold in memory: CSIR-IMMT works on mineral and materials technology, CSIR-IICB on chemical biology and therefore medicine, CSIR-CGCRI on glass and ceramic materials, and CSIR-CMERI on mechanical engineering and therefore machines. Options B, C and D each keep one or two of the real words and replace the rest with plausible substitutes drawn from the same industrial vocabulary, which is exactly how such distractors are built. None of those combinations appears in the release. Alongside the framework, note the concrete outcomes recorded at the conclave: eight memoranda of understanding, four technology transfer initiatives, two product launches and one facility inauguration.

Q3.Science & TechnologyHard

Who addressed the inaugural session of the 6th RISE Conclave 2026 as Director General of CSIR?

  1. A.Dr Vibha Tandon
  2. B.Dr Ramanuj Narayan
  3. C.Dr N. Kalaiselvi
  4. D.Dr Sharadwat Mukherjee
Show answer

Correct answer: C. Dr N. Kalaiselvi

Explanation

The correct answer is Dr N. Kalaiselvi, who is Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and also Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. The release names her as an inaugural session speaker in that capacity. The other three options all name people the release places at the same event, but in different roles, which is what makes them difficult to separate. Option A, Prof Vibha Tandon, is Director of CSIR-IICB, the host laboratory. Option B, Dr Ramanuj Narayan, is Director of CSIR-IMMT, one of the four organising laboratories. Option D, Dr Sharadwat Mukherjee, is the Minister-in-Charge of Health and Family Welfare in the West Bengal government and attended as Guest of Honour. When a release lists several dignitaries, note the office against each name rather than the name alone, because that is where the question is usually set.

Q4.Science & TechnologyMedium

What is the theme of the 6th RISE Conclave 2026?

  1. A.Science for Self-Reliance
  2. B.Driving Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Viksit Bharat 2047
  3. C.From Lab to Land
  4. D.Startup India, Standup Science
Show answer

Correct answer: B. Driving Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Viksit Bharat 2047

Explanation

The correct answer is 'Driving Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Viksit Bharat 2047'. The release gives this as the theme under which the four CSIR laboratories are jointly organising the conclave in Kolkata. The other three options are invented phrases that sound like plausible science-policy slogans but appear nowhere in the release. Themes are among the most frequently asked details in current affairs papers, so pair the theme with the rest of the event card in one block of memory: sixth edition, Kolkata, CSIR-IICB at Salt Lake, 6 and 7 September, and Dr Jitendra Singh as the Minister who inaugurated it. It also helps to know the wider policy setting the Minister described, in which a Research, Development and Innovation Fund of Rs 1 lakh crore and the Anusandhan National Research Foundation support high-risk, high-reward work and stronger ties between academia, startups and industry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where was the 6th RISE Conclave 2026 held?

At the CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology in Salt Lake, Kolkata, on 6 and 7 September 2026. Four CSIR laboratories organised it jointly under the theme 'Driving Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Viksit Bharat 2047'.

What is the 4M framework of the RISE Conclave?

It stands for minerals, medicine, materials and machines. The four letters match the complementary strengths of the four CSIR laboratories hosting the conclave, namely CSIR-IMMT, CSIR-IICB, CSIR-CGCRI and CSIR-CMERI.

Who is the Director General of CSIR?

Dr N. Kalaiselvi, who is also Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. She addressed the inaugural session of the 6th RISE Conclave 2026 in Kolkata.

Sources