New Delhi, Nov 13: In a significant step towards promoting medicinal plant conservation and Ayurvedic research, the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), through its Central Ayurveda Research Institute (CARI), New Delhi, has partnered with the University of Delhi to document the medicinal plant diversity of the university’s North Campus.
The two institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on November 10, 2026, to launch a collaborative project titled “Inventory of Phyto-diversity of Medicinal Importance Used in Ayurveda of North Campus of Delhi University.” The agreement was signed by CCRAS Director General Prof. (Vd.) Rabinarayan Acharya and University of Delhi Registrar Dr. Vikas Gupta at the Vice-Chancellor’s Office on the North Campus.
The initiative will focus on systematically surveying, identifying and documenting medicinal plant species spread across the university’s approximately 250–300 acres of North Campus. It aims to highlight the campus’s botanical wealth, particularly plant species recognised for their medicinal properties and uses in the Ayurvedic tradition.
As part of the project, researchers will undertake extensive field surveys, identify medicinal plant species and prepare herbarium specimens for scientific reference and documentation. To make the findings accessible to students, faculty members, researchers and visitors, QR-code-enabled identification boards will also be installed at various locations across the campus, providing information about the medicinal plants.
A key outcome of the collaboration will be an illustrated pictorial book featuring the medicinal flora found on the North Campus. The project will also facilitate joint research publications, helping disseminate scientific findings and expand knowledge of medicinal plant resources.
Several senior academics and researchers attended the MoU signing ceremony, including Prof. K. Ratnabali, Dean of Academic Affairs, University of Delhi; Prof. (Dr.) Shobha Bagai, Director, Cluster Innovation Centre (CIC); Dr. Hemanta Panigrahi, Director-in-Charge, CARI; Dr. Sakshi Sharma, Research Officer and Principal Investigator from CARI; Prof. (Dr.) Suresh Kumar, Principal Investigator from CIC, University of Delhi; and Prof. (Dr.) Vandana of the Department of Chemistry, Dyal Singh College.
Beyond creating a scientific inventory, the partnership is expected to strengthen awareness of the role of medicinal plants in traditional healthcare and biodiversity conservation. By combining botanical surveys, scientific documentation and public-oriented information resources, the initiative seeks to make the North Campus a valuable reference site for medicinal plant research and learning.
The collaboration also underscores the importance of institutional partnerships in preserving indigenous knowledge, encouraging research in Ayurveda and promoting the sustainable utilisation of medicinal plant resources.
