Three Indian scientists bagged the prestigious 2024 Tata Transformation Award for their ground-breaking contributions to malnutrition and diabetes, sustainable energy storage, and a cost-effective RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) vaccine.
Tata Sons, in collaboration with The New York Academy of Sciences, announced the winners of the second edition of this award on Monday, November 25.
Recognizing Solutions to India’s Challenges
Established in 2022, the Tata Transformation award aims to celebrate and support Indian scientists tackling the country’s pressing issues in food security, sustainability, and healthcare.
Chandrasekaran, Chairman of the Board of Tata Sons highlighted “By supporting pioneering Indian scientists in scaling up their pathbreaking innovations, Tata Group hopes to improve the lives of the Indian people and develop India into a world-class innovator”.
The award seeks to promote Indian innovations on the global stage while fostering impactful research. Winners are awarded ₹20 million each.
A Rigorous Selection Process
This year, the Award received 169 entries from 18 cities across India.
A panel of international experts, including scientists, technologists, and industry leaders from organizations such as Apple, IBM Research, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, evaluated the submissions.
The jury selected three exceptional scientists for their transformative contributions.
Food Security: Revolutionizing Nutrition
Winner: Dr. C. Anandharamakrishnan, CSIR National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology.
Dr. Anandharamakrishnan developed a novel fortified rice variety enriched with essential nutrients and a low glycemic index (GI) to benefit individuals with diabetes.
His innovations include a three-fluid nozzle spray drying process for nutrient encapsulation and delivery, along with Asia’s first artificial gastrointestinal system to optimize nutrient absorption.
These advancements address India’s critical challenges of malnutrition and metabolic diseases, affecting millions of people.
By tackling micronutrient deficiencies and diabetes, his work provides a lifeline to underserved populations in India and globally.
Sustainability: Affordable and Eco-Friendly Batteries
Winner: Dr. Amartya Mukhopadhyay, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.
Dr. Mukhopadhyay’s pioneering research on sodium-ion (Na-ion) batteries has paved the way for cost-effective and sustainable energy storage solutions.
His prototype offers advantages over traditional lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, including reduced costs, enhanced safety, and broader temperature compatibility.
By using “aqueous processing” to replace toxic solvents with water, his approach minimizes environmental impact and lowers production costs.
Given India’s dependence on foreign lithium and cobalt supplies, Na-ion technology offers a sustainable alternative for the country’s energy storage needs.
Healthcare: A Cost-Effective RSV Vaccine
Winner: Dr. Raghavan Varadarajan, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
Dr. Varadarajan is developing an affordable vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a disease responsible for severe respiratory illness in millions, particularly affecting vulnerable populations such as infants and the elderly.
His team is leveraging expertise in protein structure and vaccine design. They are streamlining production processes to significantly reduce costs. This could potentially lower vaccine prices by up to 95%.
This breakthrough aims to make RSV vaccines accessible to developing countries where the disease has a devastating impact.
Celebrating Visionary Science
Nicholas B. Dirks, President and CEO of The New York Academy of Sciences, stated, “These scientists are transforming Indian society. They are addressing issues like malnutrition and diabetes, making vaccines affordable, and creating eco-friendly batteries. We are proud to partner with Tata in recognizing their remarkable contributions”.
The Tata Transformation Prize continues to shine a spotlight on Indian scientists making meaningful societal impacts. It also fosters innovation on a global scale, as reported by americanbazaaronline.com.
This post was originally published on here
