IGNCA and BSIP Sign Historic MoU to Integrate India’s Scientific and Cultural Heritage.
MOUs and Agreement
In August 2025, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), under the Ministry of Culture, and the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Ministry of Science & Technology (MoS&T), signed an MoU in New Delhi to promote science–culture integration.
- The MoU signing ceremony took place at IGNCA, New Delhi, marking the first national initiative aimed at creating a unified platform to present India’s scientific advancements alongside its rich cultural traditions to both domestic and international audiences. This aligns with the Government of India’s broader vision of fostering interdisciplinary collaboration between cultural institutions and scientific bodies.
- The agreement was formalised by Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi, Member Secretary of IGNCA, and Prof. Mahesh G. Thakkar, Director of BSIP. The collaboration will be coordinated by designated nodal officers—Dr. Achal Pandya, Head & Professor of the Conservation Division at IGNCA, and Dr. Shilpa Pandey, Senior Scientist at BSIP—ensuring smooth implementation of joint programmes.
Main Point :- (i) One of the MoU’s major objectives is the preservation of India’s cultural–scientific heritage through joint research, documentation, and conservation projects. This includes safeguarding indigenous knowledge systems, studying archaeological evidence, and integrating palaeoscience findings with cultural narratives to create authentic and research-backed heritage content.
(ii) The partnership also places strong emphasis on public outreach through the creation of documentaries, exhibitions, and awareness campaigns aimed at protecting endangered traditions from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari. Such initiatives will help strengthen public understanding of the links between science, history, and culture.
(iii) A notable component of the agreement is the digitisation of cultural and scientific resources to make them widely accessible to researchers, students, and the public. The MoU will also actively support Project Mausam—an initiative examining the effects of climate change on India’s maritime history—by combining palaeoclimate research with cultural studies for a comprehensive understanding of heritage in the context of environmental change.
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