On Friday, December 13, the Tata Group and The New York Academy of Sciences honored the 2024 Tata Transformation Prize winners at an impressive award ceremony and dinner at the historic Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai. Launched in 2023, the Tata Transformation Prize aims to identify and support visionary scientists in India who are developing breakthrough technologies that address India’s most significant societal challenges in Food Security, Sustainability, and Healthcare. The ceremonial event was celebrated at this venue for the first time.
The 2024 Tata Transformation Prize Winners, selected from 169 entries from 18 Indian states by an international jury of leading experts, include:
FOOD SECURITY: C. Anandharamakrishnan , PhD, CSIR - National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology has pioneered a variety of rice fortified with multiple essential nutrients that simultaneously has a low glycemic index (GI) to address micronutrient malnutrition and blood sugar management for diabetics. Watch his film HERE.
SUSTAINABILITY: Amartya Mukhopadhyay, DPhil, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay:
is working to advance Sodium (Na)-ion battery technologies. His battery prototype is approximately 30% cheaper than Lithium (Li)-ion batteries and operates in a broader temperature range. His design is safer to store by creating air- and water-stable sodium-transition metal oxide cathodes and alloy-based anodes. Prof. Mukhopadhyay’s approach replaces toxic solvents with water to reduce production costs and environmental impact. Watch his film HERE.
HEALTHCARE: Raghavan Varadarajan, PhD., Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
is working to develop a cost-effective RSV vaccine that will allow for greater access to wide-spread deployment of vaccination programs. His scientific advances will surmount the challenges that have hindered RSV vaccine development for decades and will provide broad, longer-lasting protection against RSV infection. Watch his film HERE.
Harish Bhatt, former brand custodian for Tata Sons, served as the ceremony presenter. The evening's Chief Guest, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, and Guest Speaker, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist for the World Health Organization (WHO), gave keynote addresses. Other distinguished guests included Noel Tata, Chairman of Tata Trusts; and Prof. Désirée van Gorp, Professor of International Business and Chair of the International Advisory Board at Nyenrode Business University in the Netherlands; and AI Pioneer, Dr. Raj Reddy of Carnegie Mellon University in the U.S.
In his opening remarks, N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman of the Board of Tata Sons, said, “In a technology-first future, India needs a transformation of vision to solve the big problems at its scale. We need our scientists driving deep, fundamental research and innovators pushing beyond the margins of new technology. That is the aim of the Tata Transformation Prize: to both recognise and support breakthrough innovations, developed in research labs across India, that are ready for wide scale deployment to address India’s challenges.”
Prof. Nicholas B. Dirks, President and CEO of The New York Academy of Sciences, followed the Chairman’s remarks: "We are excited to continue this unique collaboration with Tata Sons, which serves as a catalyst for innovative solutions to India's most urgent challenges. The Prize addresses India’s critical societal needs by honouring India’s most outstanding scientists who genuinely want to make a difference while supporting India’s advancement as a world leader.”
Prof. Dirks also recognized the jury, which included eminent scientists, clinicians, technologists, and engineers from world-renowned organizations and academic institutions across five continents, and the role of the Prize’s Scientific Advisory Council, who serve as ambassadors for the program.
Intending to drive impactful innovation and scale-up implementation of high-reward research, each Winner received INR 2 crores (approximately US$240,000) in prize money and was honored with a Tata Transformation Prize medal at the ceremony.
Roopa Purushothaman, Chief Economist for Tata, delivered closing remarks for the ceremony. The day prior, the Tata Group hosted a symposium featuring the previous year’s Winners at a symposium at Bombay House, the head office of the Tata Group.
The 2023 Winners showcased their scientific progress and new collaborations since winning the prize last year.