As a part of the National Science Day (NSD) celebrations, Central University of South Bihar (CUSB) Vice-Chancellor Prof. Kameshwar Nath Singh was felicitated with the PURSE Excellence Memento by the Minister of State of Science and technology Dr. Jitendra Singh at the Plenary Hall, Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. CUSB has been awarded with the prestigious DST-PURSE (Promotion of University Research and Scientific Excellence) research grant of Rs. 7.13 crore in 2024 by the Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India to enhance its research ecosystem. On this occasion the PURSE Team members from CUSB namely Prof. Durg Vijai Singh (Director RDC), Prof. Venktesh Singh (Coordinator), Prof. Ram Pratap Singh (Deputy-Coordinator), and Prof. Prafull Kumar Singh, Prof. Amiya Priyam and Prof. Vivek Dave were present along with Prof. Rizwanul Haque, Dean, School of Earth, Biological and Environmental Sciences (SEBES). Notably, out of 47 central universities in the country only three Central universities got PURSE grant this year and CUSB is one among them. Ironically, CUSB is the only university in Bihar and Jharkhand to receive the prestigious grant for cutting-edge research focused towards ‘Viksit Bharat’.

The Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) are the key drivers for economic growth and human development. For India to march ahead on a sustainable development pathway to include economic development, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability for achieving the goal of "Viksit Bharat'', a greater emphasis will be given on promoting traditional knowledge systems, developing indigenous technologies and encouraging grassroots innovation. On these lines, CUSB’s proposal on “Development of Indigenous technologies for human health and mitigating climate change effects to make Atma Nirbhar Bharat” has been applauded and approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India under the Promotion of University Research and Scientific Excellence (PURSE) scheme.

Under this project, a dedicated team of CUSB scientists will conduct studies on the flora and fauna of Bihar along with biosensors based on field-effect transistors and biodegradable polymers. Under DST-PURSE, two sophisticated facilities namely: 1) State-of-the-art molecular biology facility and 2) Advanced laboratory for the development/fabrication of Indigenous sensors and devices will be developed under his project. These two new facilities will not only be beneficial for CUSB's researchers but also for researchers working in any institution in Bihar and Jharkhand. The new facilities will also extend their help to start-ups and industries working in and around Bihar.