Lok Sabha Question No. 2203 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-12
Subject: Setting up of  Centres of Excellence
Ministry: CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS
Asked by: Shri G Lakshminarayana

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICALS AND PETROCHEMICALS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2203

ANSWERED ON - 12/12/2025

## SETTING UP OF CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE

## 2203: SHRI G LAKSHMINARAYANA:

Will the Minister of CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has received any proposals from institutes in Andhra Pradesh for setting up Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in the petrochemical and chemical sector under the New Scheme of Petrochemicals;
- (b)  if  so,  the  details  of  such  proposals  approved/rejected  including  the  institutes,  nature  of proposed research and current status of approval and the reasons for non approval of such proposals if any;
- (c) whether the Government is planning to encourage or provide special incentives to promote establishment of CoEs in Andhra Pradesh, and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the steps being taken to ensure balanced regional distribution of CoEs across the country, State-wise, particularly in Southern States like Andhra Pradesh?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS (SMT. ANUPRIYA PATEL)

(a)  to  (d): Under  the  scheme  for  establishing  Centres  of  Excellence  (CoEs),  the Government extends grant-in-aid to selected research institutions with the aim of strengthening existing technologies, advancing research, and fostering development of new applications in the Chemicals and Petrochemicals sector. Each CoE is eligible to receive financial assistance covering up to 50% of the total project cost, subject to a ceiling of ₹5 crore. The scheme is open to all eligible institutions across India and is not limited to any particular State, Union Territory, or Region.

So far, the Government has approved the following 18 CoEs across the country:

|   S.No. | State          | Location of the CoE                                                                                                                  | Title of the CoE                                                                                                                               |
|---------|----------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|       1 | Assam          | Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati                                                                                             | Sustainable Polymers (SusPol)                                                                                                                  |
|       2 | Assam          | CSIR - North East Institute of Science &Technology (CSIR- NEIST), Jorhat                                                             | Polymers, Their Composites and Polymeric Membranes for Sustainable Development of Petroleum Industries                                         |
|       3 | Assam          | Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati                                                                                             | Sustainable & innovative Design and manufacturing of polymer- TOYS (SUNDAR - TOYS)                                                             |
|       4 | Delhi          | Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi                                                                                                | Advanced Polymeric Materials                                                                                                                   |
|       5 | Jharkhand      | Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad                                                                     | Coal to Acetylene and Fine Chemicals                                                                                                           |
|       6 | Kerala         | CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST), Thiruvananthapuram                                | Performance Chemicals and Sustainable Polymers for Industrial Applications                                                                     |
|       7 | Madhya Pradesh | CSIR-Advanced Materials and Processes Research Institute (CSIR-AMPRI), Bhopal                                                        | Transparent and Biocompatible Metal- Polymer Composite Based X- ray, Gamma ray and Neutron Shields for Window and Personal Protecting Apparels |
|       8 | Maharashtra    | CSIR- National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune                                                                                       | Sustainable Polymer Industry to research &innovation                                                                                           |
|       9 | Maharashtra    | CSIR-NCL, Pune                                                                                                                       | Specialty Polymers for Customized                                                                                                              |
|      10 | Maharashtra    | Indian Rubber Materials Research Institute (IRMRI) formerly known as Indian Rubber Manufacturers Research Association (IRMRA), Thane | Additive Manufacturing Design and Development for Value added Toys of Rubber and Allied Finished Products                                      |
|      11 | Odisha         | Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology (CIPET), Bhubaneswar                                                    | Sustainable Green Materials                                                                                                                    |
|      12 | Odisha         | CIPET, Bhubaneswar                                                                                                                   | Bio-engineered Sustainable Polymeric Systems                                                                                                   |
|      13 | Odisha         | CIPET, Bhubaneswar                                                                                                                   | Manufacturing of Next Generation Bio-Medical Devices                                                                                           |
|      14 | Tamil Nadu     | Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology (CIPET), Chennai                                                        | Green Transport Network (GREET)                                                                                                                |
|      15 | Tamil Nadu     | Indian Institute of Technology, Madras                                                                                               | Biodegradable Packaging Materials (BioPack)                                                                                                    |
|      16 | Telangana      | CSIR- Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad                                                                      | Polymer Coatings for Decorative, Protective and Strategic Applications                                                                         |

|   17 | Uttarakhand Indian Roorkee   | Institute of Technology, Process Development, Wastewater Management in Petrochemical Industries   |
|------|------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|   18 | Uttar Pradesh Indian Kanpur  | Institute of Technology, Specialty Chemicals                                                      |

In July 2024,  the  Government  invited  applications  from  eligible institutions for the establishment  of  new  Centres  of  Excellence  (CoEs)  and  received  a  total  of  50  proposals. Among  these,  two  proposals  were  received  from  Andhra  Pradesh:  (i)  RECEPS  Limited, Visakhapatnam,  with  a  focus on 'Recovery  &  Reuse  of  Solvent  for  a Sustainable Manufacturing & Production,' and (ii) the Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy (IIPE), Visakhapatnam, on 'Sustainable and Innovative Process Engineering Technologies.' Out of the 50 proposals received, the proposal from RECEPS Limited was not considered as it did not meet the eligibility requirement of being a Government institution under the scheme guidelines. The proposal from IIPE was evaluated by the Expert Committee as per the laiddown criteria, but was not included in the final recommendation.

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