List of think tanks in India

Last updated November 11, 2024

The following is a list of notable Indian think tanks

India has the second-largest number of think tanks in the world, with the country's total hitting 509 in 2018 behind 1871 in the United States of America and ahead of the People's Republic of China (507), the United Kingdom (321), and Argentina (227).^[1] Many of these are headquartered at its capital New Delhi and range from government aided organisations to privately funded ones.^[2]

Several Indian think tanks usually feature in the annual Global Go To Think Tank Index produced by the Lauder Institute of University of Pennsylvania. In 2018, the Observer Research Foundation was the highest ranked among the India-based think tanks.^[3]

Name	Global Rank (2019)^[1]^{[ failed verification ]}	Specialization	Funding Type	City (State)	Notes
Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR)		Politics, Election, Governance	Not-for-profit	New Delhi
Public Policy and Governance Society (PPGS)		India's largest student-driven think tank and public policy organization	Not-for-profit	IIT Kharagpur (West Bengal)	^[4]
Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR)		Agriculture	Government	Nagpur (Maharashtra); Sirsa (Haryana)
Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes (CIRB)		Agriculture, Animal Husbandry	Government	Hisar (Haryana)	^[5]
Central Sheep Breeding Farm (CSBF)		Agriculture, Animal Husbandry	Government	Hisar (Haryana),India	^[6]
Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS)	29 - Top Defence and National Security Think Tank - Worldwide (2019)^{[ citation needed ]} 78 - Top Think Tanks in China, India, Japan, and the Republic of Korea (2019)^{[ citation needed ]}	Air Power, National Security, International Security	Not-for-profit	New Delhi
Centre for Civil Society (CCS)	83^{[ citation needed ]}	Politics	Not-for-profit	New Delhi
Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation (CDR)		Peacebuilding	Not-for-profit	New Delhi
Centre for Development Studies (CDS)		Politics, Infrastructure, Social Science	Government	Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala)
Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS)		Strategic Studies, Regional and National Security, International Relations	Not-for-profit	New Delhi
Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE)		Economic Statistics and Database, Economic Policy	For-profit	Mumbai
Centre for Policy Research (CPR)		Politics, Policy, Governance	Not-for-profit	New Delhi
Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR)		Politics, Policy, Governance	Not-for-profit	Kochi (Kerala)
Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)		Environment	Non-Governmental Organization	New Delhi
Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP)		Policy, Science and Technology	Government	Bengaluru (Karnataka)
Chennai Centre for China Studies (C3S)		China, International Relations, Strategy	Not-for-profit	Chennai (Tamil Nadu)
Council On Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW)		Energy, Environment, Water	Not-for-profit	New Delhi
Edward & Cynthia Institute of Public Health (ECIPH)		Global Health, Public Health	Not-for-profit	Mangalore, India
Forum of Free Enterprise (FFE)		Entrepreneurship, Business	Not-for-profit	Mumbai (Maharashtra)
Foundation for Democratic Reforms (FDR)		Politics, Policy, Governance	Not-for-profit	Hyderabad (Telangana)
Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA)		International Relations, Diplomacy, Strategy	Not-for-profit	New Delhi
Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA)		Business	Not-for-profit	New Delhi
Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA)	42	Military, Security, Geopolitics	Not-for-profit	New Delhi
Institute for Studies in Industrial Development (ISID)		Business, Industries	Not-for-profit	New Delhi
Institute of Economic Growth (IEG)		Business, Economy	Not-for-profit	New Delhi
Institute of Food Security (IFS)		Food, Policy	Government	Gurgaon (Haryana)
Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC)		Economy, Social Science, Policy	Government	Bengaluru (Karnataka)
International Centre for Free and Open Source Software (ICFOSS)		Free Software	Government	Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala)
International Growth Centre (IGC)		Business, Economy	Not-for-profit	New Delhi
Nabakrushna Choudhury Centre for Development Studies (NCDS)		Economics, Sociology and Anthropology	Government	Bhubaneswar
National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS)		Agriculture	Government	New Delhi
National Centre for Cold-chain Development (NCCD)		Food, Agriculture	Not-for-profit	New Delhi
National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER)		Business, Economics	Government	New Delhi
National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS)		Science, Social Science	Government	Bengaluru (Karnataka)
National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP)		Business, Finance, Policy	Government	New Delhi	^[7]
National Maritime Foundation (NMF)		Matters related to Maritime	Non-governmental	New Delhi	Indian Navy's Knowledge Partner
National Research Centre on Equines (NRCE)		Agriculture, Animal Husbandry	Government	Hisar (Haryana)
National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, Hisar (NRCPB)		Agriculture, Animal Husbandry	Government	Hisar (Haryana)	At CCS HAU
Observer Research Foundation (ORF)		Geopolitics, Geo-economics	Not-for-profit	New Delhi
PRS Legislative Research (PRSLR)		Politics, Constitution	Not-for-profit	New Delhi
Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI)		Health, Science, Policy	Not-for-profit	New Delhi
Research Foundation for Governance in India (RFGI)		Politics, Policy, Governance	Not-for-profit	Ahmedabad (Gujarat)
South Asia Analysis Group (SAAG)		International relations, Strategy, Politics, Policy, Governance	Not-for-profit	New Delhi
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)		Sustainable Agriculture, Climate Change, Energy, Environment, Sustainable Habitat, Health & Nutrition, Resources and Sustainable Development	Not-for-profit	New Delhi	^[8]
Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF)		Culture, Civilization, Politics, Policy	Not-for-profit	New Delhi
World Resources Institute India (WRI India)	3 - Top Environmental Policy think tank 2019^{[ citation needed ]} 6 - Best transdisciplinary research think tank 2019^{[ citation needed ]}	Environment Policy, Climate Change, Urban Transport	Not-for-profit	Mumbai New Delhi Bangalore ^[9]
Wildlife Institute of India (WII)		Ecology Policy	Government	Dehradun (Uttarakhand)

Related Research Articles

A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmental organizations, but some are semi-autonomous agencies within government, and some are associated with particular political parties, businesses or the military. Think tanks are often funded by individual donations, with many also accepting government grants.

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) is a nonpartisan international affairs think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C., with operations in Europe, South Asia, East Asia, and the Middle East, as well as the United States. Founded in 1910 by Andrew Carnegie, the organization describes itself as being dedicated to advancing cooperation between countries, reducing global conflict, and promoting active international engagement between the United States and countries around the world. It engages leaders from multiple sectors and across the political spectrum.

The Fraser Institute is a libertarian-conservative Canadian public policy think tank and registered charity. It is headquartered in Vancouver, with additional offices in Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal. It has links to think tanks worldwide through the Economic Freedom Network and is a member of the free-market Atlas Network.

Observer Research Foundation (ORF) is an independent global think tank based in Delhi, India. The foundation has three centres in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. ORF provides potentially viable inputs for policy and decision-makers in the Indian Government and to the political and business communities of India. ORF started out with an objective of dealing with internal issues of the economy in the wake of the 1990s reforms. However, today its mandate extends to security and strategy, governance, environment, energy and resources, economy and growth.

The Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) (formerly known as: Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi, is India's foremost think tank for advanced research in international relations, especially defence, strategic and security issues, and providing training to civilian, military and paramilitary officers of the Indian government. It is funded by the Indian Ministry of Defence but operates as a non-partisan and autonomous body. It aims to promote national and international security by carrying out research on defence and security-related issues and disseminating the knowledge among the policy-makers and wider public.

DCAF- ; Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance is an intergovernmental foundation-based think tank that provides research and project support to states and international actors in improving security sector governance and reform.

The Center for Global Development (CGD) is a nonprofit think tank based in Washington, D.C., and London that focuses on international development.

Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE) is an Australia-based, internationally recognised climate change solutions think-tank. The organization produces independent economic and public policy research on the transition of advanced economies to a zero emissions model. Beyond Zero Emission's stated research aims are to provide detailed pathways for a rapid transition in each major sector of Australia's economy. The organisation is funded by donations from individuals and charitable trusts including the Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation and the Hamer Family Fund.

The Macdonald–Laurier Institute (MLI) is a public policy think tank located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) was a non-profit program at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that operated from 1989 to 2021. TTCSP was originally established at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in 1989. The director was James McGann. The program conducted research on policy institutes around the world, and maintained a database of over 8,200 think tanks from across the world.

Fundação Getulio Vargas is a Brazilian higher education institution and think tank founded on December 20, 1944.

The International Centre for Policy Studies (ICPS) is an independent NGO, founded in 1994 which aims to promote public policy concepts and practice and apply them to influential policy research that affects both the public and private sectors in Ukraine.

James G. McGann (1955–2021) was an American academic who was a Senior Lecturer in International Studies, Founder and Director of the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program at the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania and a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, both in Philadelphia.

The King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) is an advisory organization specializing in energy economics, climate, and sustainability that seeks to advance Saudi Arabia’s energy sector and inform global policies through evidence-based advice and applied research. It is located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, founded in 1982, is an independent energy research institute, based in Oxford.

The Council on Energy, Environment and Water, commonly known as CEEW, is a Not-For profit Think Tank and policy institution based in New Delhi, India. CEEW was formed to provide independent research-based insights to policymakers for building a sustainable India. The Council also has an office in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. It has multiple research projects running across 22 Indian states and other parts of the world.

The Arctic Institute – Center for Circumpolar Security Studies, often referred to as The Arctic Institute or TAI, is an international think tank founded in 2011 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Institute's mission is to inform Arctic policy through interdisciplinary, inclusive research that addresses the most critical issues in the circumpolar Arctic. TAI is composed of researchers from around the world. The University of Pennsylvania's Global Go To Think Tank Index has consistently ranked The Arctic Institute among the top one hundred best think tanks in the United States since 2016. Romain Chuffart has served as Managing Director since September 2022.

The Centre for Studies in Science Policy (CSSP) at Jawaharlal Nehru University is one of India's oldest and top ranked university affiliated think tanks focusing on science and technology studies in India. First established in 1972 as Center for Interaction of Science and Society (CISS), it was closed in the late 1970s by the state, finding it too critical of the nuclear energy/weaponry policies of the Indira Gandhi regime. In 1996 the centre was revived as the Centre for Studies in Science Policy. It has been regularly ranked 11th worldwide in the "Top Science and Technology Think Tanks" category of Global Think Tank Index Report.

Dr. Ebtesam Al-Ketbi is a political scientist who founded and presides over The Emirates Policy Center think tank.

The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) is an independent South African public policy and foreign relations think tank based in Johannesburg. Founded in 1934 in Cape Town, the institute has been located on the campus of the University of the Witwatersrand since 1944.

References

1 2
- (29 January 2019). 2018 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report, University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
↑ - James McGann, TTCSP Global Go To Think Tank Index Report 2018, University of Pennsylvania
↑ Observer Research Foundation named 'highest ranked' Indian think tank, Business Standard, 1 February 2019.
↑ "Public Policy and Governance Society, IIT Kharagpur Offical Website".
↑ "About CIRB". Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
↑ "Central sheep breeding farm". Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries, GoI. Archived from the original on 22 November 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
↑ National Institute of Public Finance and Policy. Government of India, Department of Finance. Accessed 21 May 2012.
↑ www.ETEnergyworld.com. "Climate justice should be North Star in fight against climate change: VP Jagdeep Dhankhar - ET EnergyWorld". ETEnergyworld.com. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
↑ "WRI India" . Retrieved 22 March 2021.

List of think tanks in India

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