The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is a research institute in New Delhi that specializes in the fields of energy, environment and sustainable development. Established in 1974, it was formerly known as the Tata Energy Research Institute. As the scope of its activities widened, it was renamed The Energy and Resources Institute in 2003. History The origins of TERI lie in Mithapur, a remote town in Gujarat, where a TATA engineer, Darbari Seth, was concerned about the enormous quantities of energy his factory spent on desalination. He proposed the idea of a research institute to tackle the depletion of natural resources and energy scarcity. J. R. D. Tata, chairman of the TATA Group, liked the idea and accepted the proposal. TERI was set up with a modest corpus of 35 million rupees. On the invitation of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, TERI was registered in Delhi in 1974 as the Tata Energy Research Institute. Locations TERI initially began its operations in the Bombay House, Mumbai, headquarters of Tata. In 1984, it moved to Delhi where it continued to operate out on the rented premises (which included the India International Centre) for almost a decade. In 1993, the organization set up its permanent base in Darbari Seth Block, named after its founder, in the India Habitat Centre complex located at Lodhi Road, New Delhi. Today TERI has a global presence with many centres in India and abroad. Headquarters at the India Habitat Center, New Delhi. Southern Regional Centre, Bangalore Western Regional Centre, Goa North - Eastern Regional Centre, Guwahati Himalayan Centre, Mukteshwar TERI Mumbai, Navi Mumbai TERI Japan, Tokyo TERI North America, Washington, D.C. TERI Europe, London TERI South East Asia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia In October 2011, Princess Máxima of the Netherlands opened the European headquarters of TERI in Utrecht. TERI established a research base in Africa to provide technical assistance as well as to facilitate exchange of knowledge amongst the communities in various African states. In 2016–17, TERI set up the world's biggest facility for Mycorrhiza production in Gual Pahari, Gurugram, Haryana. Staff TERI has over 1250 employees, with research professionals from disciplines pertaining to issues of environment and energy. The institute's present director general is Dr Vibha Dhawan. Activities The scope of the organisation's activities includes climate change, energy efficiency, renewable energy, biotechnology, and social transformation. World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) - An annual summit which facilitates the