Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy

CSTEP was founded in 2005 by Dr V. S. R. Arunachalam, former Scientific Advisor to India's Defence Minister (1982-1992) and former head of DRDO, along with Professor P Rama Rao. Dr Anshu Bharadwaj, a former IAS officer, was the first executive director from 2009 to 2020 before being succeeded by Dr Jai Asundi.{{Cite web|title=Jai Asundi|url=https://cstep.in/team.php?id=1070|access-date=2020-08-24|website=cstep.in}}

In 2008, CSTEP received its first grant from Shri Sivasubramaniya Nadar Educational and Charitable Trust to conduct studies in energy.{{Cite web|title=CSTEP Turns 10 - YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlgNcadIp38|access-date=2020-08-24|website=www.youtube.com}}{{Cite web|date=2007-07-11|title=SSN signs tie-up for scientific research|url=https://www.livemint.com/Companies/7ehWMKVW420WsmKUf2NyyO/SSN-signs-tieup-for-scientific-research.html|access-date=2020-09-03|website=Livemint|language=en}} In 2018 the organization created the Centre for Air Pollution Studies (CAPS){{Cite web|title=CAPS|url=http://caps.cstep.in/|access-date=2020-08-24|website=caps.cstep.in}} and launched the Artificial Intelligence & Digital Labs.{{Cite web|title=AI and Digital Lab|url=https://cstep.in/verticals.php?id=889|access-date=2020-08-24|website=cstep.in}}

In 2022, CSTEP employed 126 people in fields such as science and engineering, policy, economics, IT, management, and communication.{{Cite web|title=About CSTEP|url=https://cstep.in/about.php|access-date=2022-04-07|website=cstep.in}} As of 2022 its chairman was its founder Dr. Arunachalam and its executive director is Dr. Jai Asundi (2020 onwards).

CSTEP was founded in Arunachalam's residence in Bengaluru and later worked out of the CAIR (DRDO) office on Infantry Road, Bengaluru. As of 2022, CSTEP operates out of two locations, with one office in Bengaluru and another in Noida.

The India Clean Air Summit (ICAS) is CSTEP's flagship event on Air Pollution, organised by the Air Quality sector.{{Cite web|title=India Clean Air Summit (ICAS) 2021|url=https://cstep.in/event-details.php?id=1726|access-date=2022-04-07|website=cstep.in}}{{Cite web|title=India Clean Air Summit (ICAS) 2020|url=https://cstep.in/event-details.php?id=1247|access-date=2022-04-07|website=cstep.in}}

Each year, the summit focuses on a specific theme, reflecting the evolving

challenges and priorities in the field of air quality management.

• ICAS 2019[https://cstep.in/event-details.php?id=787#:~:text=India%20Clean%20Air%20Summit%202019%20(ICAS19)%2C%20the%20annual%20flagship,it%20and%20by%20how%20much%3F%20ICAS%202019 ICAS 2019] marked the launch of the event, bringing together policymakers, researchers,

industry experts, and civil society organisations to initiate discussions on air pollution and

its wide-ranging impacts.

• ICAS 2020[https://cstep.in/event-details.php?id=1247 ICAS 2020] (‘Finding the Missing Evidence’) focused on identifying gaps in air pollution

data and research and emphasised the need for a common data-sharing platform and a

‘democratic’ approach to studying and resolving air pollution.

• ICAS 2021[https://cstep.in/event-details.php?id=1726 ICAS 2021] (‘Clean Air for Healthy Living’) highlighted several important topics, including

the critical link between air quality and public health and the lack of studies in India to

assess the health impacts of air pollution.

• ICAS 2022[https://cstep.in/event-details.php?id=2042%20ICAS%202022 ICAS 2022] (‘Looking at Air Pollution Through the Climate Lens’) explored the

interconnections between air pollution and climate change and addressed how air

pollution control measures can contribute to climate change mitigation and vice versa.

• ICAS 2023[https://cstep.in/event-details.php?id=2498%20ICAS%202023 ICAS 2023] (‘Clean Air for Sustainable Development and Mission LiFE’) aimed to explore

the need to prioritise clean air for sustainable development and Mission LiFE—India’s

most ambitious policy yet to address climate change.

• ICAS 2024[https://cstep.in/event-details.php?id=2775%20ICAS%202024 ICAS 2024] (‘The Participatory Future of Air Quality Management’) is being hosted in

collaboration with the Clean Air Monitoring and Solutions Network (CAMS-Net) from 26 to

30 August 2024.

In March 2020, CSTEP initiated a Discussion Series on the Role of Science & Technology for Society, with the stated aim of making "science accessible to citizens to find sustainable solutions for India's developmental challenges".

The first event of the series was woven around the launch of Dr Arunachalam's book ‘From Temples to Turbines: An Adventure in Two Worlds’.{{Cite web|title=From Temples to Turbines: An Adventure in Two Worlds|url=https://cstep.in/event-details.php?id=1028|access-date=2020-08-24|website=cstep.in}} The Chief Designer of LCA Tejas, Kota Harinarayana, and former Chief Secretary to the Government of Karnataka SV Ranganath, were the main speakers at the event.

CSTEP is the Secretariat for the India Energy Transformation Platform, a program created in 2018 to strategize on India's long-term energy future.{{Cite web|date=|title=India Energy Transformation Platform|url=http://ietp.in/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026091129/http://ietp.in/|archive-date=2020-10-26|access-date=2020-08-24|website=India Energy Transformation Platform}}

CSTEP launched the eARTh Initiative[https://cstep.in/projects-details.php?id=2651 eARTh Initiative] on 14 October 2023 at the Bangalore International Centre,

Karnataka, India, bringing art to the heart of climate action. The event brought together scientists,

artists, conservationists, and citizens to explore how art and science can trigger a positive

change for the planet.

The objective of the eARTh Initiative is to build a collective of artists and communicators and

highlight the climate crisis in an accessible manner to initiate climate action. The eARTh Climate

Fellowship for students came to fruition as a result of the Initiative. The nine-month fellowship

programme began in January 2024 and will end in September 2024. The selected fellows have

attended periodical offline sessions and are currently working on their artistic outputs, which will

be displayed during the second eARTh event to be held in October 2024.

CSTEP is registered under Section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956 and receives grants from national and international foundations, industry trusts, and governments.

It has received grants from foundations such as the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), OAK Foundation, Rohini & Nandan Nilekani Philanthropies, World Bank, United Nations Development Programme, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and many others.

It has been involved in a number of policy projects in collaboration with the Indian government as well as national and international organizations{{Cite web|last=Choudhury|first=Biswajit.|date=January 23, 2014|title=MNRE starts process for a National Wind Energy Mission.|url=http://twocircles.net/2014jan23/mnre_starts_process_national_wind_energy_mission.html|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=TwoCircles.net}}{{Cite news|date=2010-07-06|title=Phase I of Perform, Achieve & Trade to start from April 2011|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/Phase-I-of-Perform-Achieve-Trade-to-start-from-April-2011/article16186484.ece|access-date=2020-08-24|issn=0971-751X}}{{Cite web|title=CSTEP Project|url=https://cstep.in/projects-details.php?id=500|access-date=2020-08-24|website=cstep.in}}{{Cite web|title=Implementation of RTPV on Govt. Buildings in BESCOM Area|url=https://cstep.in/projects-details.php?id=402|access-date=2020-08-24|website=cstep.in}}{{Cite web|title=LiDAR-based RTPV Tool for Bengaluru|url=https://cstep.in/projects-details.php?id=400|access-date=2020-08-24|website=cstep.in}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Recommendations to the Government on India's Official GHG Emission Estimation Process|url=https://cstep.in/publications-details.php?id=1036|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813210540/https://cstep.in/publications-details.php?id=1036 |archive-date=2020-08-13 |access-date=2020-08-24|website=cstep.in}} such as the Gates Foundation,{{Cite web|date=2001-01-01|title=OPP1087912|url=https://www.gatesfoundation.org/How-We-Work/Quick-Links/Grants-Database/Grants/2013/07/OPP1087912|access-date=2020-08-24|website=www.gatesfoundation.org|language=en}} IBM,{{Cite web|date=2015-12-04|title=IBM to study cost benefits for Indian smart grids - CXOtoday.com|url=http://www.cxotoday.com/story/ibm-to-study-cost-benefits-for-indian-smart-grids/|access-date=2020-08-24|archive-date=2015-12-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151204104004/http://www.cxotoday.com/story/ibm-to-study-cost-benefits-for-indian-smart-grids/|url-status=bot: unknown}} Bureau of Energy Efficiency, and the Planning Commission.{{Cite web|date=2015-02-22|title=India Energy Security Scenarios|url=http://indiaenergy.gov.in/vision_stake.php|access-date=2020-08-24|archive-date=2015-02-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222085337/http://indiaenergy.gov.in/vision_stake.php|url-status=bot: unknown}}

CSTEP has also collaborated with other organizations on various projects. It was one of the Indian organizations which participated in SERIIUS, a joint clean energy development program established by the Government of India and the US Department of Energy,{{Cite web|date=2013-12-14|title=Solar Energy Research Institute for India and the United States (SERIIUS)|url=http://www.iitb.ac.in/SERIIUS/SERIIUS.htm|access-date=2020-08-24|archive-date=2013-12-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214083234/http://www.iitb.ac.in/SERIIUS/SERIIUS.htm|url-status=bot: unknown}} as well as multiple projects with the European Union.{{Cite web|date=2015-01-31|title=EU-India Update|url=http://euindiaenewsletter.com/Vol_9_October_2013/Energy.html|access-date=2020-08-24|archive-date=2015-01-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150131214603/http://euindiaenewsletter.com/Vol_9_October_2013/Energy.html|url-status=bot: unknown}}

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