Under the scheme Science and Technology Application for Rural Development (STARD), selected voluntary organizations with adequate scientific and technical expertise have been identified and provided long-term core support with a view of nurturing them into Centres of Excellence for Rural Development. Under this unique programme, these voluntary groups are able to strengthen and retain scientific manpower for long duration to work at the grassroots level on location specific problems and provide innovative solutions through S&T interventions related to different sectors of rural economy.

During the last couple of years, through a selection mechanisms involving field visits by experts, number of S&T based core groups are selected and established in different parts of the country to work on activities connected with generation, demonstration and application of sustainable rural technologies on an integrated and continual basis. They are also playing important role in collection and dissemination of information on R&D activities; networking and linkages with nearby S & T institutions /Universities to provide need based technical back up support. Such groups have a core staff of a few scientists and technologists, aided by social scientists and researchers from academic and other institutions who would be able to attach themselves to this core group for short or long period of time depending upon the nature of activities with which they are associated. These groups have shown adequate potential in developing promising technologies and replicable technology models/packages with forward and backward linkages to benefit and empower local people in participatory manner.