ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute

The 2026 Sree Visakham Thirunal Endowment Lecture was jointly organized by ICAR–Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (ICAR–CTCRI), Thiruvananthapuram, and the Indian Society for Root Crops on 19 May 2026 at the institute.

Prof. J.N. Moorthy, Director, IISER Thiruvananthapuram, was the Chief Guest and delivered the endowment lecture on “From Molecular Innovation to Global Impact: Nobel-winning Contributions of Chemical Sciences.” In his lecture, Prof. Moorthy highlighted the origin and development of chemical sciences and discussed recent advances and globally significant contributions in the field.

Dr. G. Byju, Director, ICAR–CTCRI, presided over the function and spoke on the importance of the endowment lecture, the contributions of the institute, and the relevance of the selected theme. Dr. T. Makeshkumar, Secretary, Indian Society for Root Crops, welcomed the gathering, while Dr. H. Keshavkumar, Joint Secretary, proposed the vote of thanks.

Around 200 participants, including scientists, students and staff members, attended the programme.