India's Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and DAKSHIN – Global South Centre of Excellence at the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) have joined hands to strengthen science, technology and innovation cooperation among countries of the Global South.
The two organisations signed a Letter of Association (LoA) on November 3, 2026. The Ministry of Science and Technology announced the development on November 4, describing the partnership as an effort to strengthen research collaboration, capacity building and technology partnerships.
Editorial Insight
Key Highlights
Important points readers should notice.
Issue/Event: CSIR and DAKSHIN-RIS signed a Letter of Association to advance science, technology and innovation cooperation.
Location: India.
Authority/Organisation: Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and DAKSHIN at the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS).
Action Taken: The organisations established a cooperation framework covering research, policy studies, capacity building and technology partnerships.
- Impact: The association aims to support affordable, sustainable and locally relevant technology solutions across countries of the Global South.
Under the association, CSIR will contribute its scientific and technological expertise, including a portfolio of affordable, adaptable and ready-to-deploy technologies. DAKSHIN will provide a platform for international engagement, knowledge sharing and cooperation among developing countries.
The collaboration is expected to focus on practical solutions to shared development challenges. Five important areas identified for potential cooperation include healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture, the blue economy and the digital economy.
The Letter of Association outlines four major objectives. These include conducting joint policy studies to identify solutions suited to local development needs, engaging relevant institutions to help scale up development initiatives, promoting capacity building and skill development, and documenting successful development experiences and best practices.
Editorial Analysis
Why This Matters
Scientific research and technological innovation can help developing countries address common challenges in healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure and digital development. The partnership could create opportunities for sharing technologies that have already been developed by Indian research institutions and adapting them to the requirements of other countries. It also gives greater importance to collaboration between developing nations, allowing them to exchange practical knowledge and development experiences rather than relying exclusively on technology partnerships with advanced economies. For India, the initiative provides another platform to strengthen its scientific engagement and technology cooperation with countries across the Global South.
The partnership also aims to support the transfer, adaptation and deployment of appropriate technologies in countries of the Global South. By combining CSIR's scientific capabilities with DAKSHIN's international engagement platform, the organisations intend to encourage wider access to sustainable and locally relevant technological solutions.
The initiative is expected to create opportunities for industry-led implementation and entrepreneurship by helping partner countries access technologies that can be adapted to their specific requirements.
The collaboration also supports the broader objective of South-South cooperation, through which developing countries exchange knowledge, resources, experience and practical solutions to common challenges.
However, the announcement does not specify individual technology projects, participating countries, funding commitments or implementation timelines. These details will be important in assessing how the partnership translates into operational programmes and measurable outcomes.
