What it does: CSIR engages in research and development work across different fields of science and technology.
Best known for CSIR has more than 80 facilities in India, making them the biggest research and development organization in the country.
Staff stats: more than 14,000 employees in India
Financials: INR 51.44 billion government-allocated funds as of 2021
The good bits: CSIR offers competitive remuneration for entry-level roles like junior research fellows, who earn an average monthly salary of INR31,000.
The not-so-good bits: Most applicants pay INR100 in application fees before they can pursue a job in CSIR. The screening exams can take up to three hours.
The government of India established CSIR as an autonomous research and development body in 1942. Since then, the organization has evolved as the biggest research and development group in India with more than 80 facilities:
3 innovation complexes
5 units with ‘a pan-India presence’
37 national laboratories
39 outreach centers
These facilities allow CSIR to launch research and development efforts for the agriculture, energy, environment, food, health, housing, and non-farm sectors.
More than just being the largest R&D group in the country, CSIR became a prominent name in the industry by building an extensive patent portfolio. The organization has more than 3,500 active patents in India and several countries.
Insiders describe CSIR’s workplace environment as a place where freshers can easily transition from their college lives to actual research and development work. Employees often interact with their peers in the country and from the international scientific community.
More importantly, the collaborative workplace compels employees to pursue further studies like a Ph.D. Freshers should consider it to be a gateway towards career advancement.
Some employees, though, believe that the benefits of working at CSIR should be applicable for contractors as well. Despite this, the workplace culture largely remains beneficial for freshers based on the Scimago Institutions Ranking World Report.
CSIR is the only Indian organization that made it to the report’s top 100 global institutions. This ranking implies that employees are exposed to a productive workplace environment.
Former scientist Shiva Ayyadurai allegedly lost his job in 2009 after issuing a report that criticized CSIR’s leadership. CSIR disputed the claim by saying that Ayyadurai kept on demanding a higher salary.
CSIR partly depends on corporate donations to fund its corporate social responsibility efforts. These initiatives aim to recognize significant contributions to science:
CSIR Innovation Award for School Children
CSIR Young Scientist Awards
CSIR Technology Awards-2020
CSIR Award for S&T Innovation for Rural Development
CSIR Diamond Jubilee Technology Award
It can be intimidating for freshers to work at CSIR because they will be surrounded by highly educated people. As a government agency, there can be signs of a typical government work culture, despite being an autonomous research and development body.
Even so, freshers won’t become bored at CSIR because there are plenty of learning opportunities. There’s always work to do at the organization’s 80+ facilities
CSIR’s hiring process can last up to four weeks. The organization mostly follows a four-step procedure for accepting applications:
Online registration
Online fee payment (INR100)
Online application submission
CSIR doesn’t require people from the following groups to pay the application fee:
CSIR employees
Ex-servicemen
Persons with disabilities
Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes
Women and ‘other gender category
The organization’s Screening Committee will shortlist candidates and invite them to take a trade test. Freshers who pass the test will then need to ace the competitive written exam. These exams usually comprise three parts and test a candidate based on:
Mental abilities (eg general intelligence, problem-solving, quantitative aptitude)
General awareness
English fluency; and
Technical knowledge about the role.
Applicants may take up to three hours to complete the tests. CSIR lists exam questions in English and Hindi. There’s one negative mark for every wrong answer, except for the mental abilities test
A fresher’s best chances of joining CSIR involve working as a junior research fellow (JRF), project assistant (PA), research associate (RA), or technical and support staff.
Inexperienced freshers can start as PA I or PA II before becoming PA III, which requires at least two years of experience. CSIR requires further studies like doctorate degrees and two to four years of experience for RAs.
Freshers who want to become JRFs must meet the minimum qualifications:
Relevant degrees (eg Bachelor in Engineering, Bachelor in Technology)
Minimum 55% marks (50% for reservation categories)
National Eligibility Test qualification
Ph.D./integrated Ph.D. program
CSIR doesn’t require every technician, technical assistant, and technical officer to be experienced professionals. They may only need a relevant bachelor’s degree with 55% marks.
Project assistants at CSIR may earn between INR15,000 and INR28,000 per month. JRFs earn an average monthly salary of INR31,000. Experience is a primary factor for salaries of technical and support staff:
Technicians (INR19,990 to INR63,200)
Technical assistants (INR35,400 to INR112,400)
Technical officers (INR44,900 to INR142,400)
Employee benefits may include housing rent allowance, medical bill reimbursements, flexible working hours, and pension plans