IISc, Bangalore: The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) founded by J N Tata in 1909, the oldest of the premier R&D Institutions is an autonomous Institute of Higher Learning functioning the Ministry of Human resource Development(MHRD) of Government of India. Centre for Sustainable Technologies (CST), earlier known as ASTRA (Application of Science and Technology to Rural Areas), of the Indian Institute of Science is dedicated to bridging the divide between Science and Technology and Society, particularly rural. CST is an inter-disciplinary centre aimed at developing technologies to improve the quality of life of rural people, particularly poor with special emphasis on the needs of women and children. ASTRA was initiated at Indian Institute of Science to develop alternative low-cost, energy efficient and environmentally sound technologies to promote socio-economic upliftment in rural areas, focusing on the needs of the neediest, through appropriate S&T. The role of S&T is as a catalyst to promote rural development and improve the quality of life. CST’s faculty strength comprises core faculty and associate faculty from main stream Engineering and Science Departments actively involved in R&D. CST is specialized in technology generation and demonstration, technical assistance, technology transfer, information, training, capacity building, and networking.

The main activities of CST are scientific research, technology development focused on rural areas, technology demonstration, technology support and transfer, training, information dissemination and networking. CST has a large number of innovations in the fields of wood burning devices (cook stoves and agro-products driers), alternate building technologies (for rural locations as well as disaster impacted regions), biogas (biomass fermenting and urban municipal waste treatment), biomass gasifiers of different capacities (for electrical and thermal applications), water treatment technologies (Fluoride and bacterial contamination), nursery practices for forest trees and medicinal plants, S&T packages for meeting rural energy needs in a sustainable way, etc. (Source: www.capart.nic.in)

IIT Delhi: Indian Institute of Technology Delhi is one of the seven Institutes of Technology created as centres of excellence for higher training, research and development in science, engineering and technology in India, the others being at Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras, Bombay, Guwahati and Roorkee. Established as College of Engineering in 1961, the Institute was later declared an Institution of National Importance under the "Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Act, 1963" and was renamed "Indian Institute of Technology Delhi". It was then accorded the status of a deemed university with powers to decide its own academic policy, to conduct its own examinations, and to award its own degrees. (Source: www.iitd.ac.in)

Since last few decades IIT Delhi is constantly working in the field of biomass cook stove technology with the aim of dissemination of the efficient cooking technologies to help to access the safe indoor environment for rural house holds. In course of such action IITD has given boost to the R&D activity in the improved cook stove sector along with the MNRE and is being continuously working in the programme to develop the delivery model as per the requirement of geographical region and as per the financial demand in local level. IITD itself is doing lot of R&D work in this segment and has recently come up with a novel hybrid solar biomass cook stove” which is confirmed as winner of the Next50 Global Innovation Award from IIT Kanpur on June 19, 2010 at Bangalore.

SPRERI: Sardar Patel Renewable Energy Research Institute (SPRERI) was establishment in January 1979 as a result of the initiative taken by a group of foresighted persons led by Late Dr. H.M. Patel and Late Shri Nanubhai Amin. SPRERI is situated in Vallabh Vidyanagar, a township about 5 km from Anand, the milk capital of India. It has been named after Sardar Patel whose ancestral home and village is in nearby Karamsad.

SPRERI is a non-profit autonomous organization registered as a Society under the Societies Registration Act 21 of 1860 and also as a Public Trust under the Bombay Public Trust Act 1950.It has been approved as a Research Association. The mission of the Institute is to “Develop technologies and provide services to promote the use and application of renewable energy”.

SPRERI, with their continuous research and efforts, has achieved mastery in the biomass gasification and using the gasification technology they have been developed biomass based improved cook stove. Now the design of the SPRERI's gasifier cookstove, which produces smokeless fuel gas from biomass, was upgraded. The improved version of cookstove has arrangements for safe and convenient feeding of biomass and grate cleaning. The air supply to the gasifier and burner is separately controlled and the burner flame is shielded from wind. The flame temperature remains in a satisfactory range over many hours of continuous operation. The cookstove operation was demonstrated to 20 potential users. Ten such cookstoves were supplied for use by earthquake relief agencies in Kutch, Gujarat.