Research Institutes of India and Their Locations
Static GK notes on India's research institutes and their cities: ISRO, BARC, DRDO, CSIR, ICAR and ICMR laboratories and the older national surveys.
By GK24 Editorial Team· Published · 5 min read
A whole family of static general knowledge questions asks nothing more than where an institute is. The names are long, the cities are scattered, and a candidate who has not revised them loses easy marks. The trick is to learn the institutes in groups by the agency they belong to, because the agency usually explains the city: atomic research clusters around Mumbai and Kalpakkam, space around Thiruvananthapuram, Sriharikota and Bengaluru, and agriculture around New Delhi, Karnal and Izatnagar.
Space and atomic research
The Indian Space Research Organisation, formed in 1969, has its headquarters at Bengaluru and reports to the Department of Space. Rockets are designed at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre at Thiruvananthapuram and launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh; satellites are built at the U R Rao Satellite Centre at Bengaluru, their payloads come from the Space Applications Centre at Ahmedabad, and they are tracked from the Master Control Facility at Hassan in Karnataka. The Physical Research Laboratory at Ahmedabad, founded in 1947 by Vikram Sarabhai, is the cradle of Indian space science, and the National Remote Sensing Centre works from Hyderabad. On the atomic side, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre stands at Trombay in Mumbai, the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, founded in 1945 by Homi Bhabha, at Mumbai, the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics and the Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre at Kolkata, the Institute for Plasma Research at Gandhinagar and the Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology at Indore.
Defence research
The Defence Research and Development Organisation was set up in 1958 and works from New Delhi through laboratories spread over the country. Missiles come from the Defence Research and Development Laboratory at Hyderabad, soldiers' rations from the Defence Food Research Laboratory at Mysuru, high altitude agriculture and medicine from the Defence Institute of High Altitude Research at Leh, parachutes from the establishment at Agra, airborne radar from the Centre for Airborne Systems at Bengaluru, propellants from the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory at Pune, sonar from the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory at Kochi and avalanche warnings from the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment in Chandigarh.
CSIR laboratories
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, established in 1942 with its headquarters at New Delhi and the Prime Minister as its president, runs the widest network of civil laboratories. The National Physical Laboratory at New Delhi keeps the national standards of measurement, the National Chemical Laboratory is at Pune, the Central Drug Research Institute and the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants are at Lucknow, the Central Food Technological Research Institute at Mysuru, the Central Leather Research Institute at Chennai, the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology at Hyderabad, the National Institute of Oceanography at Dona Paula in Goa, the National Metallurgical Laboratory at Jamshedpur, the Central Building Research Institute at Roorkee, the Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute at Bhavnagar, the Central Electrochemical Research Institute at Karaikudi and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute at Nagpur.
Institute and city at a glance
| Institute | City | State or territory |
|---|---|---|
| Bhabha Atomic Research Centre | Trombay, Mumbai | Maharashtra |
| Satish Dhawan Space Centre | Sriharikota | Andhra Pradesh |
| Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research | Kalpakkam | Tamil Nadu |
| Indian Agricultural Research Institute | Pusa, New Delhi | Delhi |
| National Dairy Research Institute | Karnal | Haryana |
| Indian Veterinary Research Institute | Izatnagar, Bareilly | Uttar Pradesh |
| Central Arid Zone Research Institute | Jodhpur | Rajasthan |
| National Institute of Virology | Pune | Maharashtra |
| National Institute of Nutrition | Hyderabad | Telangana |
| Forest Research Institute | Dehradun | Uttarakhand |
Agriculture, veterinary science and fisheries
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research, founded in 1929 and based at New Delhi, is the parent of this group. The Indian Agricultural Research Institute stands at Pusa in New Delhi, having moved from Pusa in Bihar after the earthquake of 1934; the Indian Veterinary Research Institute is at Izatnagar near Bareilly, the National Dairy Research Institute at Karnal in Haryana, the rice research institute at Cuttack in Odisha, the Central Potato Research Institute at Shimla, the Central Arid Zone Research Institute at Jodhpur, the Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute at Jhansi, the Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research at Lucknow, the Central Institute for Cotton Research at Nagpur, the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute at Karnal, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute and the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology at Kochi, the Indian Institute of Spices Research at Kozhikode, the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute at Kasaragod and the Central Tuber Crops Research Institute at Thiruvananthapuram.
Medicine, earth sciences and the older surveys
The Indian Council of Medical Research, which began in 1911 as the Indian Research Fund Association and took its present name in 1949, works from New Delhi; under it the National Institute of Virology and the National AIDS Research Institute are at Pune, the National Institute of Nutrition at Hyderabad, the institute for cholera and enteric diseases at Kolkata and the Vector Control Research Centre at Puducherry. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences at New Delhi dates from 1956, the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences is at Bengaluru and the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research at Chandigarh. In the earth and atmospheric sciences, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology is at Pune, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services at Hyderabad, the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research at Goa and the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology at Dehradun. Among the older bodies, the Survey of India, created in 1767, works from Dehradun, the Geological Survey of India, from 1851, from Kolkata, and the Archaeological Survey of India, from 1861, from New Delhi. The Indian Institute of Science at Bengaluru, founded in 1909, and the Indian Statistical Institute at Kolkata, founded in 1931 by P. C. Mahalanobis, complete the list of names that come up again and again.
Exam Point of View
The question is almost always a location or a matching pair, so the preparation is a map rather than a concept. Watch the traps: Trombay against Kalpakkam, Sriharikota against Thiruvananthapuram, Karnal against Anand for dairy research, Mysuru for food technology against Hyderabad for nutrition, and power station sites such as Tarapur and Kudankulam being offered in place of research centres. Note too the cities that hold several institutes, Dehradun, Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, because one of them is usually the right answer in a four-option question.
Important Facts
| ISRO | Formed 1969; headquarters Bengaluru; under the Department of Space |
|---|---|
| Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala; launch vehicle design |
| Satish Dhawan Space Centre | Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh; India's spaceport |
| Space Applications Centre | Ahmedabad, Gujarat; payloads and applications |
| Physical Research Laboratory | Ahmedabad; founded 1947 by Vikram Sarabhai |
| BARC | Trombay, Mumbai; began 1954 as the Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay |
| IGCAR | Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu; fast breeder reactor research, from 1971 |
| TIFR | Mumbai; founded 1945 by Homi Bhabha |
| DRDO | Set up 1958; headquarters New Delhi |
| Defence Food Research Laboratory | Mysuru, Karnataka |
| CSIR | Set up 1942; headquarters New Delhi; the Prime Minister is its president |
| CFTRI | Mysuru, Karnataka; food technology |
| National Institute of Oceanography | Dona Paula, Goa |
| ICAR | Founded 1929; headquarters New Delhi |
| IARI | Pusa, New Delhi; began 1905 at Pusa in Bihar |
| NDRI and IVRI | Karnal in Haryana and Izatnagar in Uttar Pradesh |
| ICMR | Began 1911 as the Indian Research Fund Association; renamed 1949; New Delhi |
| Old surveys | Survey of India 1767 Dehradun; GSI 1851 Kolkata; ASI 1861 New Delhi |
| IISc and ISI | Indian Institute of Science 1909 Bengaluru; Indian Statistical Institute 1931 Kolkata |
Practice MCQs on this topic
The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, India's premier nuclear research facility, is located at:
- A.Kalpakkam
- B.Trombay, Mumbai
- C.Tarapur
- D.Indore
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Trombay in Mumbai. The centre began in 1954 as the Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay and was renamed the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in memory of Homi Jehangir Bhabha, the architect of India's atomic programme; the research reactors Apsara, Cirus and Dhruva are all on this campus. Option A, Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu, holds the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, which works on the fast breeder reactor line, and it is the commonest confusion with Trombay. Option C, Tarapur in Maharashtra, is the site of India's oldest nuclear power station, not of a research centre. Option D, Indore, is the home of the Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, which works on lasers and accelerators. Keep the division clear: Trombay for BARC, Kalpakkam for IGCAR, Indore for accelerator research.
India's rocket launches take place from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, which is situated at:
- A.Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
- B.Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh
- C.Hassan, Karnataka
- D.Balasore, Odisha
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The spaceport lies on an island on the Bay of Bengal coast, chosen because launches to the east pass over the sea and because its nearness to the equator helps eastward launches; it is named after Satish Dhawan, a former chairman of ISRO. Option A, Thiruvananthapuram, houses the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, where launch vehicles are designed, and also the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station used for small sounding rockets, which makes it a strong distractor. Option C, Hassan in Karnataka, holds the Master Control Facility, from which satellites in geostationary orbit are commanded. Option D, Balasore in Odisha, is the missile test range at Chandipur, which belongs to the defence establishment and not to ISRO.
The Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, which works on fast breeder reactor technology, is located at:
- A.Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu
- B.Kaiga, Karnataka
- C.Kakrapar, Gujarat
- D.Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu. The centre was set up in 1971 and is the country's main laboratory for the second stage of the nuclear programme, in which plutonium from spent fuel is used in fast breeder reactors; the Fast Breeder Test Reactor and the prototype fast breeder project are both at Kalpakkam. Options B, C and D are all nuclear power station sites rather than research centres, which is what makes them plausible: Kaiga in Karnataka and Kakrapar in Gujarat run pressurised heavy water reactors of Indian design, and Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu runs light water reactors built with Russian collaboration. The point to carry away is that power stations and research centres are different things, and that Kalpakkam holds both a research centre and the Madras Atomic Power Station.
The Indian Agricultural Research Institute, which moved from Bihar after the earthquake of 1934, is now located at:
- A.Karnal
- B.Pusa, New Delhi
- C.Izatnagar
- D.Cuttack
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Pusa in New Delhi. The institute began in 1905 at Pusa in Bihar, and after the Bihar earthquake of 1934 damaged its buildings it was shifted to Delhi, where the campus is still called Pusa; it is the country's leading agricultural research and teaching institute and was central to the Green Revolution. Option A, Karnal in Haryana, is the home of the National Dairy Research Institute and the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute. Option C, Izatnagar near Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, holds the Indian Veterinary Research Institute. Option D, Cuttack in Odisha, holds the national rice research institute. All four belong to the agricultural council, which is why the question is set this way; the Pusa name travelling from Bihar to Delhi is the detail that fixes the answer.
The National Dairy Research Institute is located in which city?
- A.Anand
- B.Karnal
- C.Hisar
- D.Mysuru
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Karnal, in Haryana. The institute is the country's main centre for research and training in dairy science, covering animal breeding, milk production and dairy technology, and it works under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research; Karnal also holds the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute. Option A, Anand in Gujarat, is the strongest distractor, because it is the home of Amul and of the cooperative movement that produced Operation Flood, and it holds the Institute of Rural Management; it is a dairy centre, but not this institute. Option C, Hisar in Haryana, has an agricultural university and a buffalo research centre. Option D, Mysuru in Karnataka, holds the Central Food Technological Research Institute and the Defence Food Research Laboratory, both concerned with food rather than with dairying alone.
The Central Arid Zone Research Institute, which studies desert agriculture and the spread of deserts, is located at:
- A.Bikaner
- B.Jodhpur
- C.Jaisalmer
- D.Ajmer
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Jodhpur, in Rajasthan. The institute works on dryland farming, sand dune stabilisation, agroforestry and the management of grazing land in the arid west of the country, and it comes under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. Options A, C and D are all cities of the same desert region, which is what makes the question a test of memory rather than reasoning. Bikaner has an agricultural university and the Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute is at Avikanagar in the Tonk district of the same state, Jaisalmer lies deeper in the Thar but holds no such national institute, and Ajmer sits on the eastern edge of the arid zone. For the exam, pair Jodhpur with arid zone research and Avikanagar with sheep and wool research, both in Rajasthan.
The National Institute of Oceanography has its headquarters at:
- A.Kochi, Kerala
- B.Dona Paula, Goa
- C.Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
- D.Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Dona Paula in Goa. The institute is a laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and studies the physics, chemistry, biology and geology of the seas around India, with regional centres at Kochi, Visakhapatnam and Mumbai. Option A, Kochi, is one of those regional centres and also holds the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute and the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, which is why it is the usual wrong choice. Option C, Visakhapatnam, has another regional centre and a naval base. Option D, Chennai, holds the Central Leather Research Institute and the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, not ocean research. Goa also holds the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, the body that runs India's stations in Antarctica and the Arctic, so link Goa with both ocean institutes.
The Central Food Technological Research Institute, a CSIR laboratory, is located in which city?
- A.Mysuru
- B.Bengaluru
- C.Pune
- D.Hyderabad
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Mysuru, in Karnataka. The institute works on food processing, preservation, packaging and nutrition, and it shares the city with the Defence Food Research Laboratory, so Mysuru is best remembered as the food research city. Option B, Bengaluru, holds the Indian Institute of Science, the National Aerospace Laboratories, the U R Rao Satellite Centre and the Raman Research Institute, a long list but no food technology institute. Option C, Pune, holds the National Chemical Laboratory, the National Institute of Virology and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology. Option D, Hyderabad, holds the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, the National Institute of Nutrition and the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology; the nutrition institute there is the usual trap, since nutrition and food technology sound alike but belong to different councils.
The National Institute of Virology, which works under the Indian Council of Medical Research, is located at:
- A.New Delhi
- B.Pune
- C.Kolkata
- D.Hyderabad
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Pune, in Maharashtra. The institute is the country's reference laboratory for viral diseases, it tests and confirms outbreaks and it also works on vaccines; the National AIDS Research Institute is in the same city. Option A, New Delhi, is the headquarters of the Indian Council of Medical Research itself and holds the National Institute of Malaria Research and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, which makes it a plausible answer for anyone who remembers only the council. Option C, Kolkata, holds the council's institute for cholera and enteric diseases. Option D, Hyderabad, holds the National Institute of Nutrition. Remember the council's map in pairs: Pune for viruses and AIDS, Hyderabad for nutrition, Kolkata for cholera, Puducherry for vector control and Agra for leprosy.
The Indian Veterinary Research Institute has its main campus at:
- A.Hisar, Haryana
- B.Izatnagar, Uttar Pradesh
- C.Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh
- D.Ludhiana, Punjab
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Izatnagar in Uttar Pradesh. The institute, which lies at Izatnagar near Bareilly, is the country's premier centre for veterinary research and teaching, covering animal diseases, vaccines and livestock production, and it has a second campus at Mukteswar in the Nainital district. Option A, Hisar in Haryana, holds a well known agricultural university and the central buffalo research institute, which is why it is offered here. Option C, Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, has a veterinary university but not this national institute. Option D, Ludhiana in Punjab, has an agricultural university famous for its part in the Green Revolution. The chain worth memorising for animal sciences is Izatnagar for veterinary research, Karnal for dairy research and Avikanagar in Rajasthan for sheep and wool.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which city holds the largest number of national research institutes?
Several cities hold clusters. Dehradun has the Survey of India, the Forest Research Institute, the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing and the Indian Institute of Petroleum. Pune has the National Chemical Laboratory, the National Institute of Virology, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and the inter-university astronomy centre. Hyderabad and Bengaluru hold similar clusters, which is why these four cities appear so often as options.
What is the difference between BARC and IGCAR?
The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre at Trombay in Mumbai is the main laboratory of the atomic energy programme and runs the research reactors of the first stage, based on natural uranium and heavy water. The Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu, set up in 1971, is devoted to the second stage, the fast breeder reactors that use plutonium recovered from spent fuel.
Which institutes work under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research?
Among the most asked are the Indian Agricultural Research Institute at Pusa in New Delhi, the Indian Veterinary Research Institute at Izatnagar, the National Dairy Research Institute at Karnal, the rice institute at Cuttack, the Central Potato Research Institute at Shimla, the Central Arid Zone Research Institute at Jodhpur, the sugarcane institute at Lucknow and the marine fisheries institute at Kochi.
Where are India's main space facilities?
The headquarters is at Bengaluru, launch vehicles are designed at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, launches take place from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, satellites are assembled at the U R Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru, payloads come from the Space Applications Centre at Ahmedabad, and satellites are commanded from the Master Control Facility at Hassan in Karnataka.
Which are the oldest scientific bodies in India?
The Survey of India, created in 1767 and now at Dehradun, is the oldest; the Geological Survey of India dates from 1851 and works from Kolkata; the India Meteorological Department dates from 1875; and the Archaeological Survey of India was created in 1861, with Alexander Cunningham as its first Director General. These four years are worth learning as a block.
Sources
- Centres and units of the Indian Space Research Organisation — Department of Space, Government of India
- Research institutes under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research — Indian Council of Agricultural Research
- Laboratories of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research — Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
