In 1976, BHEL took over the then state owned Mysore Porcelains Limited to enter into Ceramics business. The move was aligned with BHEL’s plans to offer total integrated engineering service the customers. After acquiring the porcelains plant, BHEL augmented the facility with a pilot plant, new machinery, a high voltage laboratory and several testing and characterization equipment. So much so, a new insulator plant at Jagdishpur also came-up besides introducing new and diversified products in the production range of Bangalore plant and in the process of expanding its horizon, beyond mere production of porcelains insulators, to other ceramic products. At this juncture, BHEL envisioned the need of an exclusive research centre for ceramics, for the growth of the company in that sector. The pre-project activities for the establishment of the “ Ceramic Technological institute (CTI)” took off with the approval for the same by BHEL board of Directors in the year 1984. After the formal approval of the project, by the Government of India, with the assistance of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP ) and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the CTI was thus set up in the year 1989.

A technical committee provided constant guidance on working of the institute while a high level project advisory committee monitored, managed and steered the whole affair. Fellowship training of the institute’s scientists, in renowned foreign laboratories, on different aspects of ceramic materials / processes and visits of several specialists to the institute were supported by UNDP/UNIDO funding besides the procurement of state-of the art processing and testing equipment related to Ceramics. The association with UNDP / UNIDO was concluded in the year 1994.