Nalanda University and the CSIR Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (CSIR-TKDL) Unit have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for academic, research and capacity-building cooperation on traditional knowledge, intellectual property rights, people's rights and cultural heritage. The Press Information Bureau published the announcement on 1 October 2026, and the release says the MoU was signed that day.
Prof. Sachin Chaturvedi, Vice Chancellor of Nalanda University, and Dr. Viswajanani J Sattigeri, Scientist-H and Head of the CSIR-TKDL Unit, signed the agreement. Faculty members of the university and senior officials of the TKDL Unit were present.
What the two bodies will do
The release describes the work as academic and research activity, intellectual exchange, training, student internships, exchange visits and networking. It names traditional cultural expressions as part of the scope and says the focus includes the cultural heritage of Bihar, where the university is based. Nalanda University sits at Rajgir in Nalanda district and was set up as an international university of national importance under the Ministry of External Affairs.
For students, the practical lines in the release are the ones on internships and exchange visits. It does not say how many places there will be, which programmes they will serve, or when applications might open.
What each side said
Prof. Chaturvedi praised the work CSIR has done through the TKDL in preventing the misappropriation of India's traditional knowledge. He said the tie-up would help identify, document and share traditional knowledge and cultural expressions, spread awareness of intellectual property rights and train younger people in the subject. He also called for traditional knowledge across areas such as the ecological knowledge of communities, folklore and music to be documented and preserved in a systematic way, and for access to be arranged so that knowledge holders and communities are protected.
Dr. Sattigeri said India has led globally on traditional knowledge policy and on initiatives such as the TKDL. She said the new arrangement is meant to help Nalanda regain its past standing as a centre of both education and research, with a particular eye on India's cultural heritage and on Bihar. The release adds that the partners expect the collaboration to serve the aims of the National Education Policy 2020 and the National IPR Policy 2016 on traditional knowledge, intellectual property and cultural heritage.
What the TKDL is
The TKDL database was set up in 2001 through a collaboration between CSIR and the Ministry of AYUSH. Its stated purpose is to stop patents being granted by mistake on Indian traditional knowledge, and to deter misappropriation of the country's heritage. According to the release, it holds information on more than 5.2 lakh formulations and practices from Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Sowa Rigpa, along with Yoga, drawn from traditional texts. The entries are transcribed into modern terms and presented in English, German, French, Japanese and Spanish so that patent examiners can read them.
The database is available to 18 international patent offices under non-disclosure agreements. The release says more than 375 patent applications worldwide have been revoked, rejected, amended, withdrawn or abandoned on the strength of prior art evidence from the TKDL.
What the release leaves open
The announcement is a statement of intent. It gives no duration for the MoU, no budget, no list of courses or research projects, and no names of the students or faculty who will take part. Anyone interested in internships or exchange visits will need to wait for a separate notice from either institution. The full release is on the PIB website.
