Dr VK Aatre, Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister and Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development (R & D) stressed the need to strengthen the network of R & D Laboratories in academic institutions, defence labs and ordnance factories in order to develop advanced systems which are needed for the Services. He said that high energy materials should be developed to meet the requirements of ballistic missiles. "The large molecules of nitrogen could meet the energy requirement of hypersonic vehicle and therefore, priority should be given to develop them", added Dr Aatre while inaugurating the 4th International Seminar and Exhibition on High Energy Materials at High Energy Material Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune.

The theme of the seminar was 'High Energy Materials-Emerging Trends'. Eminent scientists and experts in the field of high energy materials from eight countries participated in the three-day seminar. It was attended by 250 delegates. About 130 research papers were presented in 14 technical sessions and 8 plenary lectures by renowned scientists. Dr Haridwar Singh, Director, HEMRL gave the welcome address and the keynote address was given by Mr M Natarajan, a distinguished scientist. Mr Natarajan shared his experience about the development of MBT Arjun.

On this occasion, Dr Aatre gave away the Honorary Fellowships to scientists for their outstanding contribution to the field of high energy materials. Among them were scientists from USA, Israel and Russia.

HEMRL is one of the prestigious labs under Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Its charter of duties include basic and applied research and development in the area of high energy materials. HEMRL's history dates back to 1908 when it was started as Chemical Examiner's Office at Nainital. It went through radical changes in its charter of duties and responsibilities during the last nine decades and finally emerged as a full fledged R & D Laboratory in 1963.

HEMRL has a core strength of 1200 personnel, comprising chemists, physicists, mathematicians, chemical, mechanical and electronic engineers who handle different projects for Army, Navy, Air Force and other organisations like BARC and ISRO. It is recognised as the postgraduate centre for basic and applied research. It is an ISO-9001 : 2000 certified laboratory.