Auroville's Centre for Scientific Research CSR is promoting renewable energies by hosting national conferences and giving courses on how to realize moving towards sustainability. These trainings are executed in collaboration with more than 22 partner organisations in India and abroad.

Auroville's Centre for Scientific Research CSR was founded in 1984, with an original focus on ferro-cement technologies: roofing channels, water tanks, doors, biogas tanks and other products. Though the products are difficult to transport, CSR has since 1993 been shipping yearly an average of seven biogas plants to the Andaman Islands. Its ferro-cement products are sold in Tamil Nadu and have been exhibited in New Delhi and used in model houses built in Orissa and Gujurat.

Next to the sale of products, the sharing of acquired expertise and skills has become part of CSR's activities. The aim is to promote integral choices for a sustainable future by providing education to professionals, voluntary organisations and students through awareness programmes, workshops, training courses and seminars in environmental and sustainable technologies. These trainings are executed in collaboration with more than 22 partner organisations in India and abroad.

"We have probably trained more than 2,500 people over the last 10 years," says Tency who heads CSR. "It started in 1991. The Housing and Urban Development Corporation of India, HUDCO, asked us to give training in ferro-cement technology to those who work for their approximately 600 building centres in India. This soon expanded. Our syllabus now includes ferro-cement technology , earth technology, renewable energy technologies and wastewater recycling. All these technologies are based on field experiments in Auroville. This knowledge we disseminate in two, three or five day courses. Those attending range from university professors to masons, from government officials to members of private organisations and other individuals. We have trained people from all over India."