As India and Norway deepen bilateral engagement during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Norway, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Government of India, signed five key agreements in Oslo on 18 May 2026. The accords were led by Dr N. Kalaiselvi, Director General of CSIR and Secretary of DSIR, with senior Norwegian research, academic and industrial representatives. The partnerships aim to expand linkages in research, innovation and technology development while promoting institutional cooperation, startup engagement and industrial collaboration.

The Memorandum of Understanding with the Research Council of Norway (RCN) will promote cooperation in research, technology development, innovation and capacity building. It envisages joint workshops, collaborative research and development projects, exchange visits and periodic reviews focused on global challenges and the Sustainable Development Goals including climate, clean energy, oceans and health. The agreement provides a framework for coordinated research priorities and programme-specific implementation arrangements.

CSIR signed a collaboration agreement for 2026-2029 with Stiftelsen SINTEF (SINTEF) to pursue circularity and sustainability transitions through joint research programmes in bio-based materials, innovation hubs, ocean energy including offshore wind and hybrid systems, carbon capture, storage and utilisation, and waste valorisation. A project-specific collaboration on ocean energy and offshore wind will involve CSIR institutes and SINTEF entities to strengthen capacity in floating wind technologies, reduce the levelised cost of energy and support pilot demonstrations, standardisation, skill development and industrial growth. CSIR funding support for the project is approximately Rs 34.1 million (mn).

A joint declaration titled Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation for the Green Shift was signed with the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR) and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) to advance sustainability, circular economy, ocean science, healthcare and infrastructure engineering through exchanges and collaborative programmes. CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute entered a five-year memorandum with Emerald Geomodelling to deliver geoscience solutions for infrastructure projects, including joint R&D, survey planning, data analysis and training. These agreements mark a milestone in India-Norway cooperation and are expected to strengthen long-term institutional partnerships.