CSIR-CECRI scientists work on a gamut of research problems covering all facets of Electrochemical Science and Technology: Corrosion Science and Engineering, Electrochemical Materials Science, Functional Materials and Nanoscale Electrochemistry, Electrochemical Power Sources, Electrochemical Pollution Control, Electrochemicals, Electrodics and Electrocatalysis, Electrometallurgy, Electroplating & Industrial Metal Finishing, etc.

Individuals may form communities, but it is institutions alone that can create a nation. 
- Benjamin Disraeli 

On July 25, 1948, Karaikudi, a hitherto bleak and desolate village in Tamil Nadu, wore a festive look. A mammoth crowd of more than a lakh people gathered to witness the ushering in of a new era in Indian science. It was the day the CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CSIR-CECRI) was founded at Karaikudi. The institute took roots in the patriotic fervour of RM. Alagappa Chettiar, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Dr. Shanthi Swarup Bhatnagar. Fast forward five years, on January 14, 1953, the institution became a reality when Dr. S. Radhakrishnan dedicated CSIR-CECRI, the 12th national laboratory under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), to the nation.