About NRLC

National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property (NRLC) is a recognized scientific institution of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Established in 1976 thanks to the vision and encouragement of Dr. O. P. Agrawal, the founding Director of the institute. NRLC has advanced heritage conservation through research, education, training, field projects, knowledge dissemination, collaboration, and public participation.

NRLC has published over 200 research papers and developed innovative conservation methods and products, including treatments for bronze disease, calcareous copper objects, and lead corrosion, as well as eco-friendly materials such as gluten-free wheat starch, curcumin-impregnated cloth, neem-aroma paper interleaves, and museum showcases. It has provided conservation services to museums, archives, libraries, archaeology departments, and other institutions across India, while training conservation professionals through its six-month course since 1978.

Over the years NRLC grown to 3 campuses, two at Lucknow and one at Mysore. NRLC has produced hundreds of trained conservation professionals. Since the introduction of the Deposit Head in 2011, NRLC has undertaken conservation projects on a charge basis for public and private collections. These projects have conserved over 40,000 artefacts nationally and internationally while creating opportunities for research, training, employment, and professional development.