Universities play a key role in building strong capabilities in research and innovation by nurturing and igniting young minds to move in the path of scientific excellence, said Renu Swarup, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology.
Speaking at a virtual meeting on the occasion of National Science Day organised by the SASTRA, Deemed to be a University, Ms. Swarup said the nation’s scientific growth was evident from the surge in innovation index and the number of start-up ventures. She also highlighted the impetus given for research and innovation.
S. Vaidhyasubramaniam, Vice-Chancellor, SASTRA Deemed University, outlined the university’s tradition of honouring stalwarts in science. As part of the Science Day celebrations, Mr. Vaidhyasubramaniam said that the SASTRA - G. N. Ramachandran Award was presented to Ajay Kumar Ghatak, formerly Professor at Indian Institute of Technology Delhi; the SASTRA –Obaid Siddiqi Award to Dr. Gitanjali Yadav of National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi and SASTRA – C N R Rao award for Chemistry and Materials Science for the year 2021to A. K. Ganguli of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and G. Mugesh of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. The awards carry a cash price of ₹5 lakh each, he added.
Apart from this, the SASTRA-Professor Saroj Chandrasekhar Memorial Award 2021 instituted to recognise and reward women candidates in their third or the fourth year of their doctoral programme were presented to three candidates – Madhu Chaturvedi and Nishant Manzar of IIT, Kanpur, and Sayantani Sinha, CSIR, Jhadavpur University. The awardees would get a cash prize of ₹1 lakh each.
Two others, Ramya of SASTRA and Akansha Onkar, IIT, Kanpur, received a cash prize of ₹50,000, each with honourable mention and Roohi Mohi, UD-DIN, University of Kashmir received ₹25,000 cash prize with special mention, according to a SASTRA press release.
A technology business incubator – ABLEST (Association for Bio-Inspired Leaders and Entrepreneurs) at SASTRA, established at a cost of Rs.7 crore under the BIONEST programme of the Department of Biotechnology was also inaugurated by Dr. Renu Swarup on the occasion, the release added.
