CSIR CENTRAL LEATHER RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, is the world's largest leather research institute in terms of research papers and patents. It was founded on 24 April 1948 as a constituent laboratory under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, with the foundation stone laid by Central Minister of Industry and Supply Syama Prasad Mookerjee in the Guindy region of Chennai. Madras State provided 75 acres of land along with funds for site preparation. The institute's objective is to address all aspects of the leather industry, including preservation of hides and skins, tanning and finishing techniques, pollution control, and product design for garments, shoes, and other articles. It also offers training, consultancy, and feasibility studies. CLRI houses departments in Chemical and Physical Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering Sciences, and Information Sciences, and operates four regional extension centers in Ahmedabad, Jalandhar, Kanpur, and Kolkata. Milestones include development of a biological dressing for burn patients in 2003, a partnership with the National Institute of Fashion Technology in 2004, pilot biodiesel production from rice bran oil, and the 2023 launch of the Indian Footwear Sizing System. Notable people associated with the institute include G. N. Ramachandran, Thirumalachari Ramasami, Narayanan Chandrakumar, and Kalarical Janardhanan Sreeram, the current Director since November 2019.