Date: 2026-07-10Category: Press ReleaseState: Union GovernmentCountry: India
India and Australia Sign Agreement on Access to Council of Scientific and Industrial Research’s Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (CSIR-TKDL) to Strengthen Protection of Traditional Knowledge
**Executive Summary**
On July 9, 2026, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and IP Australia signed an agreement during the 3rd India-Australia Annual Summit in Melbourne to grant Australia access to India’s Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL). The agreement aims to protect traditional knowledge from misappropriation by allowing Australian patent examiners to identify documented prior art. The implementation of this collaborative effort will be overseen by senior officials from both nations to ensure efficient patent examination procedures.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Agreement Context and Implementation**
* The agreement was concluded in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as one of eighteen key outcomes of bilateral discussions.
* It addresses shared commitments to safeguard indigenous knowledge systems and strengthen intellectual property systems.
* Oversight of the implementation will be managed by the Commissioner of Patents (IP Australia), the Director General (CSIR), and the Head of the CSIR-TKDL Unit.
**Database Functionality and Use**
* IP Australia will use the TKDL to identify relevant prior art when examining patent applications in accordance with Australian patent laws.
* The database helps prevent the erroneous granting of patents on knowledge that is already part of India’s documented heritage.
* Access is provided under Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) to ensure the security of the information.
**Scope of the TKDL**
* Established in 2001, the TKDL is the world’s first database dedicated to the defensive protection of traditional knowledge.
* It contains over 5.2 lakh formulations and practices from Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa, and Yoga.
* Information is translated into five international languages: English, German, French, Japanese, and Spanish to assist patent examiners worldwide.
* Eighteen patent offices now have access to the database; it has already contributed to the revocation, rejection, or amendment of over 375 patent applications globally.
**Impact Analysis**
**IP Australia**
**Impact:** Gains access to a massive repository of documented prior art, facilitating more informed and efficient patent examinations.
**Action Required:** Incorporate the TKDL database into the examination process for patent applications to identify existing traditional knowledge.
**Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) / Government of India**
**Impact:** Enhances the global protection of Indian traditional heritage and strengthens bilateral science and technology ties with Australia.
**Action Required:** Manage the implementation of the agreement and maintain the database to prevent the misappropriation of Indian traditional knowledge.
**Global Patent Applicants**
**Impact:** Applicants seeking patents based on traditional Indian knowledge will face stricter scrutiny as examiners use TKDL evidence to identify prior art.
**Action Required:** Ensure that patent applications do not claim existing traditional knowledge documented in the TKDL.
Key Entities Referenced
Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (CSIR-TKDL): A first-of-its-kind prior art database containing over 5.2 lakh formulations from Indian traditional medicine systems, designed to prevent the misappropriation of traditional knowledge through erroneous patent grants.
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR): The primary Indian research organization responsible for developing and managing the TKDL database and entering into international access agreements.
IP Australia: The Australian government agency responsible for intellectual property rights that gained access to the TKDL database to enhance patent examination procedures.
Ministry of AYUSH: The Indian ministry that collaborated with CSIR to establish the TKDL in 2001 for the defensive protection of traditional knowledge systems like Ayurveda, Unani, and Yoga.
3rd India–Australia Annual Summit: The high-level bilateral event held in Melbourne where the TKDL Access Agreement was formally concluded as a key outcome of diplomatic discussions.
Ministry of Science & Technology
India and Australia Sign Agreement on Access to
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research’s
Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (CSIR-
TKDL) to Strengthen Protection of Traditional
Knowledge
प्रव तथ: 10 JUL 2026 9:32AM by PIB Delhi
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and IP Australia have entered into an Agreement
on access to CSIR’s Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (CSIR-TKDL) during the 3rd India–Australia
Annual Summit held in Melbourne, Australia, on 9 July 2026. The Agreement was concluded in the
presence of the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, and the Hon'ble Prime Minister of
Australia, Mr. Anthony Albanese MP.
The TKDL Access Agreement is one of the eighteen key outcomes of the bilateral discussions held during
the Summit, which covered a wide range of areas including defence and security, energy security,
education, skill development, science and technology, film-making, traditional knowledge, and
repatriation of cultural properties.The Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL), a first-of-its-kind prior art database, has been
developed by India to prevent the misappropriation of its rich traditional knowledge through the erroneous
grant of patents. Under the Agreement, IP Australia will gain access to the TKDL database to identify
relevant prior art while examining patent applications in accordance with Australia's patent laws and
examination procedures. The Agreement will facilitate more informed and efficient patent examination
while helping prevent the grant of patents on knowledge that is already part of India's documented
traditional heritage.
India and Australia are both home to rich indigenous knowledge systems, traditional practices and cultural
expressions that have evolved over centuries and are vulnerable to misappropriation. The signing of the
Agreement reflects the shared commitment of both countries to safeguarding traditional knowledge and
strengthening intellectual property systems through effective use of documented prior art.
The implementation of the Agreement will be overseen by Mr. Andrew Wilkinson, Commissioner of
Patents, IP Australia; Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, Director General, CSIR and Secretary, DSIR; and Dr. Viswajanani
J. Sattigeri, Scientist-H and Head, CSIR-TKDL Unit.
About TKDL
The Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (CSIR-TKDL), established in 2001 by the Government of
India through a collaborative initiative of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the
Ministry of AYUSH, is the world's first database dedicated to the defensive protection of traditional
knowledge. Developed to prevent the erroneous grant of patents based on Indian traditional knowledge,
the CSIR-TKDL currently contains information on over 5.2 lakh formulations and practices from
Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Yoga, translated into five international languages—English,
German, French, Japanese and Spanish—for use by patent examiners worldwide. With the signing of the
Agreement with IP Australia, eighteen patent offices now have access to the database under Non-
Disclosure Agreements (NDAs). The CSIR-TKDL has played a significant role in safeguarding India's
traditional knowledge, contributing to more than 375 patent applications worldwide being revoked,
rejected, amended, withdrawn or abandoned based on prior art evidence from the database.
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