Written by Ruta Patil November 13, 2025 10:17 PM IST 2 min readThe NCCS in Pune hosted a curtain raiser for the India International Science Festival 2025, showcasing cutting-edge bioscience research to students. (Representative photo)As the country prepares to host the India International Science Festival (IISF) 2025, the excitement within the scientific community is palpable. In anticipation of this grand event, an IISF curtain raiser was hosted on Thursday by the National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS).The aim was to introduce school and college students to the vibrant spirit of IISF. Through this initiative, participants were given a unique opportunity to step into the world of modern bioscience — exploring the cutting-edge research and pioneering technologies being developed at the NCCS.Shreeprasad M K, zonal organising secretary of Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA), Paschim Kshetra, outlined the purpose and evolution of IISF and urged students to nurture a scientific temperament grounded in curiosity, logic and inquiry. “All students in our country may not get the opportunity to visit the IISF, but they should still be aware of it. To spark curiosity about science and give them exposure to the kind of research happening in institutes like NCCS, we organised this event. Our aim is to inspire students and help them develop a genuine interest in the field of science,” he said.Story continues below this adProf Sharmila Bapat, director (additional charge), NCCS, also encouraged the students to explore a career in science. After giving an overview of the BioE3 initiative of the Department of Biotechnology, she also motivated students to participate in the DBT’s D.E.S.I.G.N for BioE3 challenge. The competition announced every month aims to empower the youth to solve critical issues of their time.After the inaugural session, the visiting students and teachers were taken on guided tours across NCCS’s research facilities. They explored the National Cell Repository, visited the Bioinformatics and Flow Cytometry labs, Bioimaging, Proteomics and DNA Sequencing units and Microbiology exhibits. It allowed students to interact with experts giving them a glimpse into real-time laboratory work and scientific discovery.The IISF is an annual nationwide celebration of science, jointly organised by various science ministries and departments along with Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA). The 2025 edition, coordinated by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, will take place at Panjab University, Chandigarh.Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:pune