Central Instrumentation Facility

Submitted by Priyanshu on
Overview / Summary

The Central Instrumentation Facility (CIF) at BITS Pilani is a premier hub for high-end research instrumentation, offering advanced analytical resources to support interdisciplinary research and education. It comprises two core units: the Sophisticated Instrument Facility (SIF) and the Central Analytical Laboratory (CAL). These facilities serve both internal and external users and play a critical role in facilitating scientific investigation and innovation across a wide spectrum of disciplines.

Vision

To be a nationally recognized center for scientific excellence by fostering innovation, collaboration, and accessibility to state-of-the-art instrumentation, thereby enabling transformative research across disciplines.

Mission

The mission of CIF is to provide advanced analytical and research infrastructure to support cutting-edge scientific discovery, promote interdisciplinary collaboration, and serve the evolving needs of academia, industry, and society.

Aim & Objectives
  • To offer centralized access to sophisticated instrumentation for teaching and research.
  • To support faculty and students in conducting high-impact scientific investigations.
  • To facilitate training and skill development through hands-on workshops and certification programs.
  • To encourage industry collaborations and consultancy through equipment services.
  • To maintain, upgrade, and expand instrumentation capabilities to align with global research trends.
Campus
Pilani Campus
Focus areas or Specializations of Center
The CIF supports research in diverse domains such as physics, chemistry, biology, pharmacy, materials science, and engineering. It enables specialization in areas like nano-material characterization, molecular analysis, high-resolution imaging, spectroscopy, chromatography, and computational modeling, making it a cornerstone for advanced scientific research at BITS Pilani.

Key facilities or Resources provided by the Center
Key facilities at the CIF include:

Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM)

Raman Spectrometer and Atomic Force Microscope

Fully Spectral Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope (FSCLSM)

Single Crystal X-ray Diffractometer (SC-XRD)

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer (NMR)

Impedance Analyzer

Nano-particle Analyzer with Rheometer
These instruments are accessible to both faculty and students and are maintained by a dedicated technical team to ensure optimal performance and training support.
Services

CIF provides instrument access, data acquisition support, consultation on experimental design, and analytical assistance. Services are available to:

  • Internal users (faculty, scholars, students) through a booking portal.
  • External users (academic institutes, industries) on a fee basis.
    Instrumentation usage is supported by training modules, manuals, and expert supervision.
Training & Workshops
The CIF regularly organizes workshops and training programs for capacity building and technical skill enhancement. Notably, the 6th National Workshop on Analytical Instruments & Computations for Engineers & Scientists (WAICES-2025) was conducted in association with the Department of Chemical Engineering, providing participants with hands-on exposure to cutting-edge techniques and applications in instrumentation.