Guwahati: In a pioneering move towards sustainable innovation and industry-academia collaboration, Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Guwahati (NIPER-G).
The agreement aims to jointly explore the development of pharmaceutical-grade products and key drug intermediates from refinery-based specialty chemicals.
The MoU was formally signed at NRL’s corporate office in Guwahati by Dr. USN Murty, Director of NIPER-G, and Mr. Bhaskar Jyoti Phukan, Managing Director of NRL. The event was attended by a host of dignitaries including senior professors from NIPER-G – Prof. S. Tamilvanan, Prof. P. Radhakrishnanand, Prof. Jagat Ch. Borah, Prof. V.G.M Naidu, Prof. Sanjay Banerjee, Prof. Vikas Anand – and Mr. Dilip Haloi, along with senior NRL officials.
This strategic partnership will focus on cutting-edge research to harness refinery streams – particularly bio-based derivatives such as furfural – for the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) including furazolidone, nitrofurantoin, and furosemide. The collaboration will emphasize green chemistry, reaction optimization, and scalable technologies for producing pharmaceutical products in an environmentally responsible manner.
Speaking at the occasion, Dr. Murty highlighted the significance of interdisciplinary collaborations in building an indigenous pipeline of high-value pharmaceutical compounds, while Mr. Phukan underscored how the initiative aligns with NRL’s long-term vision of sustainable refinery innovation and foraying into value-added chemical segments.
The MoU marks the beginning of a long-term alliance that aims to promote self-reliance in pharmaceutical R&D, foster industry-academia synergy, and support India’s mission of Atmanirbhar Bharat in both the energy and healthcare sectors.
The Numaligarh Refinery is a division of Oil India Limited which is under the ownership of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. It is located at Numaligarh, Golaghat district, Assam in India. NRL was a division of BPCL. It opened in 1999. The commercial production commenced from 1st October, 2000.
