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The Tata Transformation Prize Celebrates the 2024 Winners in Mumbai

The New York Academy of Sciences continues its partnership with India’s Tata Group for the second annual Tata Transformation Prize.

Published January 8, 2025

By Kamala Murthy
Senior Manager, Communications

On Friday, December 13, 2024 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 identifies and supports 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 famous 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, included:

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 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.

A Night of Distinguished International Guests

Harish Bhat, former brand custodian for Tata Sons and book author, 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), both gave keynote addresses.

Other distinguished guests included Noel Tata, Chairman of Tata Trusts; 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 and Turing Award Winner, Dr. Raj Reddy of Carnegie Mellon University. Several members of the Tata Transformation Prize’s international jury attended, including Prof. José Miguel Aguilera Radic from Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Dr. Jianying Hu from IBM, Dr. Carolyn Duran from Apple, Dr. Sandra Barteit from the University of Heidelberg in Germany, Ankur Bhatnagar from Biocon, Prabhakaran Doiraraj from the Centre for Chronic Disease Control (India), and Deepanwita Chattopadhyay, founder of India’s first Life Sciences research park.

The Tata Transformation Prize, a Catalyst for Innovative Solutions

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 recognize and support breakthrough innovations, developed in research labs across India, that are ready for wide-scale deployment to address India’s challenges.”

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 honoring India’s most outstanding scientists who genuinely want to make a difference while supporting India’s advancement as a world leader.” 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 and the Academy 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.

Photo Gallery

(Left to Right) Nicholas Dirks, President and CEO of the Academy, Healthcare Winner, Dr. Raghavan Varadarajan, Prof. Amartya Mukhopadhyay, Dr. C Anandharamakrishnan, and N. Chandrasekaran, the Chairman of Tata Sons.

First Winners of the Tata Transformation Prize Announced Today, Celebrating Pathbreaking Innovation in India

Three rising stars in science are recognized for their cutting-edge solutions to food security, sustainability, and healthcare.

Mumbai, India | 7 November 2023 – Tata Sons and The New York Academy of Sciences today announced the first Winners of the Tata Transformation Prize. The prize recognizes and supports visionary scientists in India who are developing innovative solutions to critical societal challenges.

Three scientists were selected from 169 entries by an international jury of renowned experts for their innovations in food security, sustainability, and healthcare. Each winner will receive INR 2 crores (approximately US$240,000) and will be honoured at a ceremony in Mumbai in December 2023. The jury included distinguished scientists, clinicians, technologists, and engineers spanning six continents from a variety of organizations, including IBM Research, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Public Health Foundation of India, and UN-Habitat.

The 2023 Tata Transformation Prize Winners are:

A woman in pearls smiles for the camera.

Food Security Winner: Shilpi Sharma, PhD, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
Professor Shilpi Sharma was selected by the jury for her work in the engineering of the soil microbiome using synthetic microbial communities, called microBIOme-based soil TRANSFORMation (BIOTRANSFORM). Plant diseases threaten crop productivity and, consequently, the global economy. Unlike conventional farming that uses agrochemicals and synthetic fertilizers, soil amended organically has the natural ability to suppress a wide range of plant pathogens. Starting from naturally suppressive soil, Shilpi will catalog the active microbial players and their mechanism of suppression of a range of phytopathogens. Her work will be the first to map the natural suppressive potential of soil across six states of India and to harness this potential by microbiome engineering to facilitate sustainable agriculture in the country and beyond.

Sustainability Winner: Purnananda Guptasarma, PhD, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali
Professor Purnananda Guptasarma was selected by the jury for his breakthrough methods to degrade polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a common plastic pollutant, using enzymes. PET is currently produced and used at unsustainable levels, creating worldwide plastic pollution and micro-plastic contamination in the air, water, and soil, as well as in animal and human bodies. Only 9% of PET is actually recycled worldwide. Guptasarma’s enzyme-driven strategy uses engineered thermostable enzymes and reactions to demonstrate that solid PET can be broken up into its smallest molecular building blocks with high yield and ultra-high purity to enable PET’s degradation and recycling into virgin plastic. Building on this proof of concept at the laboratory-scale, Guptasarma will further identify and improve enzymatic reagents and reactions for PET degradation and attempt to produce the best enzymes in quantities allowing pilot-scale PET-waste degradation and recycling.

Healthcare Winner: Anurag S. Rathore, PhD, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
Professor Anurag S. Rathore is a healthcare pioneer aiming to reduce the manufacturing cost of biotherapeutics for treating cancer and autoimmune diseases, thus enabling equal access to these top-tier, expensive treatments currently out of reach for 90% of the Indian population. Rathore has established a state-of-the-art drug manufacturing facility with continuous processing that incorporates novel methods for real-time process monitoring and control. Rathore’s innovation is projected to reduce manufacturing costs by 50-75%, making best-in-class biotherapeutics for complex diseases significantly more affordable for Indian populations in need and further advancing India’s position at the forefront of global medical innovation.

N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman of the Board of Tata Sons, said, “We are extremely delighted to announce the first cohort of Tata Transformation Prize winners and their groundbreaking innovations aimed at solving India’s national problems in the areas of food security, sustainability, and healthcare. On behalf of Tata Sons, we are pleased to provide these scientists a global stage to take their technologies from India to the rest of the world.”

Nicholas Dirks, President and CEO of The New York Academy of Sciences, said, “Congratulations to the first Winners of the 2023 Tata Transformation Prize. From developing new soil enhancements to improve crop yield, creating methods to make critical medicines available to all, and developing techniques to tackle plastic pollution, these scientists are making important contributions to Indian society and the world. We also thank the jury for sharing their time and expertise in reviewing the submissions in the first year of the Tata Transformation Prize.”

About the Tata Transformative Prize

The Tata Transformation Prize was established in 2022 by Tata Sons and The New York Academy of Sciences to support breakthrough, innovative technologies that address India’s most significant challenges. By recognizing and supporting the implementation at scale of high-risk, high-reward research, the Prize will drive impactful innovation in scientific disciplines of importance to India’s societal needs and economic competitiveness. The Prize will leverage the exceptional potential of scientists in India to address critical national challenges in three categories—Food Security, Sustainability, and Healthcare—and generate improved life quality outcomes across India and beyond. The Tata Transformation Prize recognizes one Winner in each category, with INR 2 crores (approximately US$240,000) for each Winner. Click here for more information about the Tata Transformation Prize.

About the Tata Group

Founded by Jamsetji Tata in 1868, the Tata Group is a global enterprise, headquartered in India, comprising 30 companies across ten verticals. The group operates in more than 100 countries across six continents, with a mission ‘To improve the quality of life of the communities we serve globally, through long-term stakeholder value creation based on Leadership with Trust’.

Tata Sons is the principal investment holding company and promoter of Tata companies. Sixty-six percent of the equity share capital of Tata Sons is held by philanthropic trusts, which support education, health, livelihood generation and art and culture.

In 2022-23, the revenue of Tata companies, taken together, was $150 billion (INR 12 trillion). These companies collectively employ over 1 million people. Each Tata company or enterprise operates independently under the guidance and supervision of its own board of directors. There are 29 publicly listed Tata enterprises with a combined market capitalisation of $300 billion (INR 24 trillion) as on July 31, 2023. Companies include Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Chemicals, Tata Consumer Products, Titan, Tata Capital, Tata Power, Tata Communications, Indian Hotels, Tata Digital, Air India and Tata Electronics. Website: https://www.tata.com

The Tata Transformation Prize is the latest in a series of prominent awards and scholarship programs The New York Academy of Sciences and its partners present each year to accomplished early-career and established scientists worldwide. These initiatives, along with education and professional development programs for students and young scientists, reflect the Academy’s broader commitment to strengthening and diversifying the pipeline for skilled and talented scientists globally. Please visit us online at nyas.org.

Media Contact

Tata Sons
Harsha Ramachandra
harsha.r@tata.com

Tata Transformation Prize

Overview

Supporting breakthrough, innovative technologies that address India’s greatest challenges.

By recognizing and supporting the implementation at scale of high-impact research, the Prize drives innovation in scientific disciplines of importance to India’s societal needs and economic competitiveness.

Bold Innovation for India and Beyond

The Tata Transformation Prize leverages the exceptional potential of scientists in India to address critical national challenges in three categories—Food Security, Sustainability, and Healthcare—and generate improved quality-of-life outcomes across India and beyond.

The Tata Transformation Prize recognizes one Winner in each of the three categories, with INR 2 crores (approximately US$230,000).

View highlights from the 2024 Tata Transformation Prize Ceremony

“The Tata group has been in the forefront of creating impact in society for more than 150 years. In fact, our founder Jamsetji Tata said that the very purpose of business is the society. The Tata Transformation Prize is one small way in which we will promote science and scientists to solve India’s national problems.”

N. Chandrasekaran
Chairman
Tata Sons

“Pathbreaking research takes place in India, resulting in important advances in science around the world. This prize is focused not only on science, but on innovative discoveries that put science to work for the betterment of society.”

Nicholas B. Dirks
President & CEO
The New York Academy of Sciences

Scientific Advisory Council

Members of the Scientific Advisory Council serve as ambassadors of the Tata Transformation Prize, invited by Tata Sons and The New York Academy of Sciences to reach a broad and diverse pool of applicants and advise on Prize policies.

Winners are selected by a confidential jury, independently chosen by The New York Academy of Sciences, comprising world-leading topical experts from academia, industry, government, and beyond.

M. Lakshmi Kantam, PhD
Professor, Institute of Chemical Technology

Prabhu L. Pingali, PhD
Professor, Cornell University
Chair, ICRISAT Governing Board

K. Srinath Reddy, MD, DM(Card)
Former Head of Cardiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences
Former President, Public Health Foundation of India

Karen C. Seto, PhD
Professor, Yale University

Soumya Swaminathan, MD
Chairperson, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation
Former Chief Scientist, World Health Organization

K. VijayRaghavan, PhD
Emeritus Professor, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Former Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India

Meg Wirth
Founder & President, Maternova

Key Dates

Guidelines & Applications

Program Guidelines

Eligibility

The applicant must:

Hold a doctoral degree (PhD, DPhil, MD, DDS, DVM, etc.)
At the time of application, hold a position as a Postdoctoral Researcher, Faculty, or Researcher/Scientist, with at least 50% full-time effort devoted to research, at an eligible institution within India
Be resident in India or a person of Indian origin residing in India
Receive pre-approval from their institution, in the form of an Eligibility Verification Form. See below for more details.
Must not have received research funding from Tata Sons or its subsidiary companies in excess of US$10,000 (or equivalent in local currency) within the past four (4) calendar years (2021-2025).

Applicants may only submit one application per annual Prize cycle.

Eligible Institutions

Applicants must be employed by an eligible university, institute, or other research organization in India at the time of application. Eligible institutions may be found here.

Institutions not listed may contact TataTransformation@nyas.org to request inclusion on the list of eligible institutions.

Eligible Categories

The Tata Transformation Prize recognizes scientists and engineers developing technological innovations that address three challenges of national importance to India: Food Security, Sustainability, and Healthcare.

Applicants must propose technologies that address one of the three categories with a focus on digital and technological transformation: innovations that re-imagine traditional practices and business models, transform technological paradigms, improve public trust, and enable an open and connected world.

Innovation knows no bounds. Technologies that may address these challenges include,  but are not limited to:

Food Security

Innovations that improve productivity and efficiency or reduce waste and resource-intensity, such as

Supply chain management
Crop sensing
Genetic modification
Crop management
Climate change-resistant agriculture practices
Food distribution
Food processing
Precision agriculture
Soil health management
Aquaculture
Smart irrigation systems

Sustainability

Innovations that enable large-scale reduction, reuse, and recycling of resources or protection of the natural environment, such as:

Clean energy technologies
Battery and energy storage technologies
Green chemistry
Sustainable materials
Circular economy technologies
Environmentally friendly infrastructure
Recycling and waste disposal technologies
Climate change modeling and prediction
Technologies to mitigate the impacts of climate change
Ecology technology & technologies for conserving biodiversity
Electric vehicles and other energy-efficient devices
Technology solutions for water management
Innovations to estimate, measure, and track emissions

Healthcare

Innovations that improve accessibility, affordability, accountability, and efficacy in healthcare, such as:

Sensing and wearable technologies
Telemedicine/telehealth
Health informatics
Electronic health records
Bioprinting
Augmented reality
Robotics
Personalized healthcare technologies
Medical training strategies
Biocomputation & bioinformatics
Public/community health infrastructure
Drug Development
Precision Medicine

The eligible technologies listed under each Prize category above are not meant to be exhaustive. If applicants have a question regarding whether or not a particular innovation falls into these categories, please contact the Tata Transformation Prize team at TataTransformation@nyas.org.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposed innovations will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

Quality: The extent to which the proposed innovation is coherent, credible, and supported by scientifically rigorous design and preliminary data.
Vision: The extent to which the proposed innovation will 1) challenge existing paradigms or practices and/or pursue an original approach, and 2) generate measurable, lasting, and wide-scale changes that address national needs and societal changes for underserved populations in India.
Feasibility: The extent to which the applicant 1) offers a realistic approach and implementation plan to achieve tangible, impactful results and 2) is well-positioned and capable of executing the proposed plan, and 3) the extent to which the proposed innovation is scalable in India.

Application Materials & Instructions

Application Form

Required information includes the applicant’s name, title, terminal degree, email address, phone number, and category of submission, as well as the name, title, and contact information for the institutional leadership submitting the Eligibility Verification Form.

Curriculum Vitae

Applicants must use the CV template available for download here and precisely follow the included instructions. Remove all instructions and sample information before finalizing. Please save your CV as a pdf before uploading it to the application portal.

CV must include:

Applicant name, current institution(s), and position title.
Education and training: including undergraduate, doctoral and postdoctoral training, with names of previous research advisor(s)/mentor(s).
Employment history and dates.
Honors and awards: including granting organizations and years received.
Peer-reviewed publications from entire research career.
- Include separate sections for primary research and reviews/commentaries.
- Use a citation format that includes the names of all authors, with applicant name in bold and the journal title underlined. Include citation ID if available.
- Do not include manuscripts submitted or in preparation.
- Conference abstracts and proceedings should only be included if they are the primary way of disseminating new results in the applicant’s field, such as in computer science and mathematics.
Patents and patent applications: include patent title, patent number, 1-2 sentence synopsis and year submitted/approved
Research Support:
- List funding for ongoing and completed projects on which the applicant is named as either Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-Investigator (co-PI).
- Include funding agency, name of funding mechanism, grant #, title of grant, and 2-3 sentence summary of the aims of the grant.
- Specify whether applicant is PI or co-PI and the total amount (direct cost) of the award. If there are multiple PIs, specify the amount (direct cost) awarded to applicant.
Scientific leadership (e.g., any significant roles in the greater academic community). This includes major editorial responsibilities, service on external committees, conference organization, technology licensing (or company start-up), public outreach activities, and institutional administrative responsibilities (e.g., departmental or student committees).
Invited talks and lectures. Include year and inviting organization/institution.

Innovation Proposal

The Innovation Proposal should be accessible to another scientist working in the overarching Prize category (e.g., sustainability). The proposal should be a maximum of five pages (11 or 12 point font and 1 inch margins). References and up to five figures with legends may be included on additional pages.

The proposal should include the following four sections. Page numbers are included as a guide, but do not need to be strictly followed. A strong application will address each component thoroughly.

Background & Significance (~0.5-0.75 page)

The applicant should describe:

The societal challenge and critical barrier to scientific progress the innovation seeks to address.
The prior research that serves as the key support for the proposed project.

Please explain any terms or information that may not be obvious to a scientist outside of the applicant’s specialty.

Proof of Concept (~0.75-1 page)

Describe the technology, discovery, or innovation and preliminary work and/or results demonstrating its rigor, credibility and potential. These may constitute a prototype that has undergone testing or a small-scale proof of concept experiment. Clarify if these are published or unpublished findings. Additionally, clarify the roles of other researchers/research groups in these findings. Explain how the innovation is unique in how it addresses the corresponding societal challenge. If the innovation is a physical technology or device, include a schematic of the design and a photo of the prototype as one of the five allowed figures.

Implementation Plan (~3 pages)

Applicants must present a clearly articulated and well-reasoned plan to scale up and implement the innovation. A robust and unbiased plan should identify potential challenges, alternative strategies, clear benchmarks for success, significant goals, and a tentative timeline by which the applicant expects to meet those goals. Early-stage projects should include a strategy to establish feasibility and manage risk.

The timeline should span approximately three years of implementation, over which significant progress is expected to be made.

Provide any necessary context to understand what successful scale-up and implementation would look like.

Identify any resources, such as specialized equipment that is required for the Implementation Plan. Indicate whether the applicant has access and, if not, how and when it will be obtained. Details can be provided in optional Letters of Support (see below).

Future Directions and Impact (~0.5 page)

Describe how the applicant sees the implementation and adoption of the innovation progressing beyond the timeline proposed in the Implementation Plan. Describe the anticipated impact of the technology, discovery, or innovation outlined in your proposal on your scientific field, Indian society, and beyond.

Letters of Support

Applicants may also include Letters of Support to substantiate access to key resources that are needed for the success of the proposed work. The letter should clearly state the commitment of the letter writer to give the applicant access to the reagent, sample, instrumentation, or support to establish techniques described in the proposal. Letters of Support should be on letterhead, signed, combined into a single pdf, and uploaded into the application portal.

Letters of Reference

Applicants are required to nominate two (2) individuals to submit confidential letters of reference.

Applicants will be prompted to provide the names and email addresses of two letter writers during the submission of materials. Letters of reference will be electronically requested and submitted via the web portal to ensure confidentiality.

We encourage applicants to share the Instructions for Letters of Reference with letter writers at the time of request to ensure they have a clear understanding of the expected content. Applicants may download the Instructions for Letter Writers here.

We recommend that applicants petition letters from individuals who are recognized experts in their discipline/field and the societal challenges related to their proposed innovation. Letter writers should be intimately familiar with the applicant’s most significant research contributions and their impact on the applicant’s research field and beyond. Furthermore, we recommend that applicants share a summary of their innovation project with letter writers so that they can comment on the vision and potential of the project to generate wide-scale changes that address the needs of Indian society. They should also be able to describe how the applicant’s background and accomplishments prepare them to lead the implementation and scale-up of the project proposed.

Eligibility Verification Form

The applicant must receive verification of their eligibility from their institution in the form of a completed and signed Eligibility Verification Form. Completion of the form verifies that the applicant is employed by the institution in an eligible research role and has informed the institution of their intent to submit an application. The form must be signed by institutional leadership at the level of Department Head or higher. The signatory must be senior to the applicant.

Applicants and Institutional Leadership can download the Eligibility Verification Form here. Applicants will be asked to submit their completed, signed and stamped (with an institution stamp, if applicable) Eligibility Verification Form with the rest of their application materials in the submission portal.

Prize Details

Prize Benefits and Winner Responsibilities

Award

The Tata Transformation Prize awards one Winner in each of the three categories, with INR 2 crores (approximately US$230,000) for each Winner. Funds will be disbursed directly by Tata Sons upon the conclusion of Prize events in December 2025.

Membership to The New York Academy of Sciences

All Winners will receive a lifetime membership to the Academy. Membership provides Winners with access to our Global Member Directory, a deep archive of digital content, and access to free or significantly discounted registrations for over 100 in-person and virtual symposia, webinars and conferences annually.

Winner Responsibilities

Tata Transformation Prize Winners are expected to:

Attend the Tata Transformation Prize Ceremony in late Fall 2025.
Deliver a short presentation on their work at the annual Tata Transformation Prize Ceremony or Symposium in late Fall 2025. Further details will be provided closer to the Prize events.
Participate in Tata Transformation Prize Symposia in Years 1-3 to present updates on the progress and implementation of their innovation project.
Participate in Tata Transformation Prize-related media activities and inquiries (e.g., video interviews, magazine profile interviews).

Reporting

Tata Transformation Prize Winners will provide reports on the progress of the innovation implementation at intervals of one and three years after receiving the Prize. Winners are expected to include in their reports:

Project Activities: Progress according to milestones set in the Implementation Plan.
Results & Impact:
- Wins: further prototypes or market-ready products developed; product testing undertaken; product effectiveness measured in pilot studies
- Failures: technical or implementation failures and lessons learned
- Challenges: barriers to implementation, scale, or user adoption
Collaborators: Key stakeholders recruited to project, their roles, and the resources or support they provide.
Funding: New investors or other funding sources. Summarize terms and valuation.
Future Plans: Steps to be taken in the next year towards implementation or continuing development, including a timeline to market or to achieve project impact
Expenditures: Provide CA certified reports on expenditures made after the first and third year of award.

Winners are also expected to provide an updated CV, including post-Prize:

Patents
Scientific Publications
Grants or other research funding
Prizes or other awards
Conference presentations or other invited talks

Eligible Institutions

Applicants must be employed by an eligible university, institute, or other research organization in India at the time of application. Eligible institutions are listed below.

Institutions not listed here may contact TataTransformation@nyas.org to request inclusion on the list of eligible institutions.

Expand for the Full List of Eligible Institutions

A | B | C | D | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y

ABV Medical University, Lucknow
Academy of Maritime Education and Training
Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research
ACE Engineering College
Acharya Institute of Technology
Adamas University
Agartala Government Medical College
Ahmedabad Textile Industry’s Research Association (All Campuses)
Ahmedabad University
Alagappa University
Aliah University
Aligarh Muslim University
All India Institute of Hygiene & Public Health (All Campuses)
All India Institutes of Medical Sciences
Amity University
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University)
Andhra University
Anna University
Annamalai University
Apex Professional University
APJ Abdul Kalam Kerala Technological University
Arunachal University of Studies
Arunodaya University
Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment
Ashoka University
Asian Institute of Public Health
Assam Don Bosco University
Assam University
Azim Premji University

B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology
Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University
Banaras Hindu University
Banasthali University
Bangabasi Morning College
Banyan Academy of Leadership in Mental Health
Bennett University
Bharathiar University
Bharathidasan University
Bihar Engineering University
Birla Institute of Technology and Science
Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra
Birla Vishvakarma Mahavidyalaya (B.V.M) Engineering College, (affiliated with Gujarat Technological University)
BLDE University
Borlaug Institute of South Asia

Central Ground Water Board, Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti
Central Leprosy Teaching and Research Institute (All Campuses)
Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (All Campuses)
Central University of Himachal Pradesh
Central University of Jammu
Central University of Jharkhand
Central University of Karnataka
Central University of Kerala
Central University of Punjab Bathinda
Central University of Rajasthan
Central University of South Bihar
Central University of Tamil Nadu
Centre for Brain Research
Centre for Public Health Research
Centurion University of Technology and Management
Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology
Chandernagore College
Chandigarh University
Chandra Dental College & Hospital
Charotar University of Science and Technology
Chaudhary Charan Singh University (Formerly Meerut University)
Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya
Chennai Mathematical Institute
Chettinad Academy of Research and Education
Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University
Chitkara University Punjab
Christ University
Christian Medical College and Hospital
Cluster University Srinagar
Cochin University of Science and Technology
Cooch Behar Government Engineering College
Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University
Cotton University
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (All Laboratories)

Darjeeling Government College
Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences
DAV University
Dayalbagh Educational Institute
Dayananda Sagar Institutions
Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University
Defence Institute of Advanced Technology
Defence Research and Development Organization (All Technical Clusters)
Delhi Technological University
Department of Agricultural Research and Education (All Affiliated Institutes)
Department of Atomic Energy (All Research Centres)
Department of Biotechnology (All Affiliated Institutes)
Department of Soil and Water Conservation of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya
Devi Ahilya University
Dharmanand Uniyal Government Degree College Narendranagar
Dharmsinh Desai University, Gujarat
Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology
Doon University
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University
Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam College
Dr. B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology Jalandhar
Dr. B. Lal Institute of Biotechnology
Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth
Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune
Dr. Harisingh Gour University (Sagar University)
Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture

ESI Medical College and Hospital
ESIC Medical College

Father Muller Medical College, Mangalore
Forest Research Institute (Indian Institute of Forest Management)

G D Goenka University
G.H.G. Khalsa College
Gandhi Institute of Engineering and Technology
Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management
Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal
Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya, Central University
Gauhati University
Gautam Buddha University
GITA Autonomous College
GLA University
Global Institute of Public Health
Goa Institute of Management
Goa University
Government College Daman
Government College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram
Government General Degree College, Kharagpur-II
Government General Degree College, Singur
Government Institute of Forensic Science, Nagpur
Government Medical College, Kannur
Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research
Gujarat Technological University
Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University
Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya, Bilaspur
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University
Guru Nanak Dev University
Guru Nanak Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology
Gurukula Kangri Vishwavidyalaya

H.N.B. Garhwal University
Haffkine Institute (All Campuses)
HCG Bengaluru
Heritage Institute of Technology
Himalayan University
Hindalco Hospital, Renukoot
Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science
Hirabai Cowasji Jehangir Medical Research Institute
Homi Bhabha National Institute

IIMT University
Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science
Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (All Affiliated Institutes)
Indian Council of Medical Research (All Institutes)
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Winners

Winners by Year:
2024 | 2023

2024 Tata Transformation Prize Winners

Food Security Winner

C. Anandharamakrishnan, PhD

CSIR – National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science & Technology

With nearly 30% of the population suffering from malnutrition and 7% affected by diabetes, management of hidden hunger and ensuring public health are urgent priorities for India. Therefore, there is an urgent need for solutions that address both malnutrition and health challenges.

C. Anandharamakrishnan, PhD, is a pioneer in food engineering research and has been working towards the development of innovative solutions to meet this dual challenge. Dr. Anandharamakrishnan’s proposes to develop rice fortified with multiple essential nutrients and rice designed to have a low glycemic index (GI), which could provide a healthier diet for the diabetic population. He will utilize advanced food technologies developed in his lab, including a 3-fluid nozzle spray drying process to efficiently encapsulate and deliver these nutrients in reconstituted rice. His lab has also developed Asia’s first engineered artificial gastrointestinal system, which his team uses to analyze nutrient release during digestion, ensuring the rice is optimized for maximum nutrient absorption and improved glycemic response.

The potential impact of this work is far-reaching. If successful, this fortified rice could provide a vital nutritional boost to millions of underserved people in India, while also providing a healthier diet for the diabetic population on a large scale. By addressing two major public health concerns simultaneously, Dr. Anandharamakrishnan’s work could pave the way for significant improvements in both nutrition and health conditions, with the potential to benefit not only India but also the 2 billion people worldwide who suffer from malnutrition.

Sustainability Winner

Amartya Mukhopadhyay, DPhil

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

With the urgent global need for sustainable energy solutions, the development of affordable, eco-friendly batteries is critical. In India, where key materials for lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, such as lithium and cobalt, are scarce, sodium-ion (Na-ion) batteries offer a promising alternative.

Amartya Mukhopadhyay, DPhil, is spearheading efforts to advance Na-ion battery technology, which is approximately 20-25% cheaper than Li-ion batteries, operates in a broader temperature range, and is safer to store. Prof. Mukhopadhyay’s recent breakthroughs in materials science, particularly in creating air- and water-stable sodium-transition metal oxide cathodes and alloy-based anodes, have made Na-ion batteries more practical and sustainable for various uses. Prof. Mukhopadhyay’s approach leverages another key innovation from his lab – “aqueous processing” of battery electrodes – which replaces toxic solvents with water to reduce costs and environmental impact. The first phase of his project focuses on scaling up this water-based process and fine-tuning the batteries to ensure high capacity and long-lasting performance. The second phase will involve producing prototype cells and exploring commercialization opportunities through technology transfer or startup ventures.

This work addresses India’s need for cost-effective, safe, and sustainable energy storage solutions, particularly for renewable energy applications. If successful, Na-ion batteries could reduce India’s reliance on imported materials and provide a greener, more affordable option for the country’s growing energy demands.

Healthcare Winner

Raghavan Varadarajan, PhD

Indian Institute of Science

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) causes severe respiratory illness in over 30 million people annually, disproportionately affecting infants, young children, and the elderly. Over 120,000 deaths are attributed to RSV each year, with more than 97% occurring in developing countries, including India. Despite the availability of new RSV vaccines, their high cost makes them inaccessible to the populations most at risk.

Raghavan Varadarajan, PhD, aims to develop an RSV vaccine that addresses these challenges. Dr. Varadarajan will draw upon his lab’s extensive expertise in protein structure and vaccine design to engineer an efficacious vaccine that will provide broad and long-lasting protection against infection by this devastating virus. Furthermore, by employing cutting-edge methods in protein design and stabilization, Dr. Varadarajan’s team is optimizing the vaccine formulation and production system, to potentially reduce the cost of each dose by up to 95%, compared to recently approved RSV vaccines.

These breakthroughs could make RSV vaccination accessible to the populations that need it most, significantly reducing RSV-related illness, hospitalizations, and saving lives. Dr. Varadarajan’s research underscores India’s growing leadership in affordable healthcare innovation, addressing critical public health challenges both locally and globally.

2023 Tata Transformation Prize Winners

Food Security Winner

Shilpi Sharma, PhD

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi

Prof. Shilpi Sharma’s research program examines the various biotic and abiotic factors shaping microbial diversity in different ecosystems, and then develop strategies to support environmental sustainability. She is specially interested in the rich and dynamic zone surrounding the plant roots, rhizosphere, which harbours microbial communities that directly impact plant’s fitness. She is involved in the development of next generation agri-biologicals by harnessing the potential of the microbiome associated with plants, for mitigation of phytopathogens and abiotic stresses like salinity and drought. In her ambitious proposal, Shilpi plans to tap the natural potential of some soil to restrict the manifestation of plant diseases. She aims to transform disease-conducive soil by first characterizing the active microbial players and their mechanism of suppression of a range of phytopathogens, in naturally suppressive soil. Upon identifying the mechanisms at play, and generating a culture bank of potent biocontrol strains, she will design synthetic microbial communities to transform disease-conducive soil to suppressive soil. The synthetic microbial communities have an upper hand over the conventional bioinoculants routinely applied in agriculture, as they are more robust and efficient under natural conditions. The objectives will be met by bringing together conventional methods as well as state-of-art techniques like culturomics, metagenomics and metabolomics. Her work will be the first to map the natural suppressive potential of soil across six states of India, and to employ microbiome engineering to facilitate sustainable agriculture in the country and beyond.

Sustainability Winner

Purnananda Guptasarma, PhD

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali

Prof. Purnananda Guptasarma is developing new and more effective methods for the degradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic waste to its most fundamental building blocks, terephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG). Despite early promise of their recyclability, only 9% of plastic products are recycled today, due to the difficulty of achieving purity of TPA, and maintaining quality over subsequent life cycles. Guptasarma has demonstrated a groundbreaking technique that utilizes enzymes, molecular tools that can perform chemical reactions, to break down solid PET into TPA and EG, by using one enzyme to efficiently degrade solid PET into TPA and other degradation intermediates that escape into solution, and another enzyme that remains in solution and convert the degradation intermediates into TPA and EG. The purity achieved by this use of synergy between carefully-selected enzymes leads to the formation of pure TPA in the laboratory, which can then be re-formed into new plastic from the ground up, theoretically enabling PET plastic recycling with near perfect efficiency. Guptasarma is now using bioprospecting approaches and a combination of rational and combinatorial protein improvement approaches involving protein engineering, biophysics and biochemistry, to enhance this method even further. The intention is to identify, improve and produce the best-performing enzymes in bulk quantities for the degradation of PET at pilot-scale beyond what has already been found to work in the laboratory.

Healthcare Winner

Anurag S. Rathore, PhD

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi

Prof. Anurag S. Rathore’s work aims to significantly reduce manufacturing costs and increase global accessibility for lifesaving biotherapeutics used to treat complex diseases including cancer and autoimmune diseases.Rathore has established India’s first and only state-of-the-art continuous processing facility and has successfully produced several biotherapeutics with an estimated 50-75% reduction in the cost of manufacturing. Importantly, Rathore’s team has established a novel approach that facilitates real-time monitoring and control to maintain the efficiency and quality of a continuous manufacturing process. This monitoring system requires expertise in widely disparate areas including process development, analytical characterization of biotherapeutic products, data analytics, process modelling, and artificial intelligence approaches such as machine learning. Rathore has demonstrated in his facility at IIT Delhi how these integrated process platforms can be created, product quality monitored in real-time, and any deviations effectively dealt with to prevent any disruptions in processing. Rathore and his group intend to implement these methods both in their own lab and at biopharmaceutical companies in India and abroad to improve productivity and reduce manufacturing costs. Rathore’s innovations are poised to not only increase access to life-saving therapies but also to position India as a global leader in medical manufacturing technology.

FAQ

View the video recording of the Tata Transformation Prize Webinar, which was held on March 28, 2024

Frequently Asked Questions

Can multiple collaborators working on a single project apply for the Tata Transformation Prize?

The Tata Transformation Prize is awarded to individuals. Team submissions are not eligible.

Prize funds may be used to support a collaborative group working to implement the proposed technology. However, they will be awarded directly to the applicant as the Principal Investigator (PI). Applicants may describe the scope of collaborator participation in their Innovation Proposal.

Can 4th year PhD candidates apply (i.e. applicants who have submitted their thesis but are awaiting a response and will receive degree in 2-3 months)?

No, at the time of application the applicant must have received their PhD.

Does the applicant need to hold a doctorate degree from an eligible institution and work at an eligible institution?

Applicants may have received a doctoral degree from any international or Indian institution, however they must currently be working at a listed eligible institution in India. It is not required that an applicant hold a degree from an eligible institution.

After receiving the Tata Transformation Prize, what is the time period for providing reports?

Award-winners will share research progress in intervals of one and three years after receiving the prize.

Do you have to be a certain age to apply for the Tata Transformation Prize?

No, there are no eligibility restrictions for applicants based on age.

What if a required document is not available by the application deadline?

Email TataTransformation@nyas.org for support.

How can Prize funds be spent?

Prize monies must be spent towards the implementation of the proposed innovation; however, Winners have full discretion as to how those funds will be distributed towards that purpose.

Winners bear full responsibility for how they distribute their Prize monies, including the distribution of funds to collaborators in support of the project.

Once received, Winners will be expected to report how their Prize monies are being spent towards the implementation of their innovation in 1- and 3-year Progress Reports, as described in the Prize Details tab.

Is there a downloadable flyer available?

Yes, the downloadable flyer can be accessed at nyas.org/tataflyer.

Contact Us

Mamta Tahiliani, PhD
Program Manager, Awards
TataTransformation@nyas.org
+91-9953250781 (M-F, 9 AM – 5 PM IST)

Tata Sons and New York Academy of Sciences Announce Prize to Honour Scientists in India

The Tata Transformation Prize will recognize Indian scientists for research to solve societal needs and promote economic competitiveness

Mumbai, India | 4 January 2023 – Tata Sons and The New York Academy of Sciences today announced the Tata Transformation Prize to recognize and support promising scientists in India who are developing innovative technological solutions to critical societal challenges.

The new prize will be awarded each year to three scientists for innovations in each of three areas: food security, sustainability, and healthcare. Each winner will each receive INR 2 crores, and will be honoured at a ceremony in India in December.

“This prize will accelerate breakthrough innovations by the Indian scientific community,” said Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman of the Board of Tata Sons. “We hope this prize will help bring the transformational work of Indian scientists to light, reward them appropriately, and encourage them in taking solutions to market. The Tata Transformation Prize is one small way in which we will promote science and scientists to solve India’s national problems.”

Award Criteria

Applicants for the prize must be active researchers with a doctoral degree, or equivalent, and be employed by an eligible university, institute, or other research organization in India. Applicants must propose technologies addressing food security, sustainability, or healthcare challenges with a focus on digital and technological transformation. Prize winners will be scientists whose proposed innovations re-imagine traditional practices and business models, transform technological paradigms, improve public trust, and promote an open and connected world.

“Pathbreaking research takes place in India, resulting in important advances in science around the world,” said Nicholas B. Dirks, President and CEO of The New York Academy of Sciences. “This prize is focused not only on science, but on innovative discoveries that put science to work for the betterment of society, to solving major global challenges in three core areas. We are so pleased to be working with Tata, and Chairman N. Chandrasekaran, to support scientific and technical innovation in India. It will also raise national and international awareness of India’s strengths in scientific research and development.”

The Tata Transformation Prize is the latest in a series of prominent awards and scholarship programs the Academy and its partners present each year to accomplished early-career and established scientists around the world. These initiatives, along with education and professional development programs for students and young scientists, reflect the Academy’s broader commitment to strengthening and diversifying the pipeline for skilled and talented scientists globally.

Click here for more information about the Tata Transformation Prize.

About the Tata Group

In 2021-22, the revenue of Tata companies, taken together, was US $128 billion (INR 9.6 trillion). These companies collectively employ over 935,000 people.

Each Tata company or enterprise operates independently under the guidance and supervision of its own board of directors. There are 29 publicly-listed Tata enterprises with a combined market capitalisation of $311 billion (INR 23.6 trillion) as on March 31, 2022. Tata Group Companies include Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Chemicals, Tata Consumer Products, Titan, Tata Capital, Tata Power, Indian Hotels, Tata Communications, Tata Electronics, Air India and Tata Digital.

The New York Academy of Sciences continues its partnership with India’s Tata Group for the second annual Tata Transformation Prize.

A Night of Distinguished International Guests

The Tata Transformation Prize, a Catalyst for Innovative Solutions

Photo Gallery

The 2023 Tata Transformation Prize Winners are:

About the Tata Transformative Prize

About the Tata Group

Media Contact

Bold Innovation for India and Beyond

View highlights from the 2024 Tata Transformation Prize Ceremony

Scientific Advisory Council

Key Dates for 2025 Tata Transformation Prize

Program Guidelines

Food Security

Sustainability

Healthcare

Application Materials & Instructions

Background & Significance (~0.5-0.75 page)

Proof of Concept (~0.75-1 page)

Implementation Plan (~3 pages)

Future Directions and Impact (~0.5 page)

Prize Benefits and Winner Responsibilities

Expand for the Full List of Eligible Institutions

Winners by Year:2024 | 2023

2024 Tata Transformation Prize Winners

Food Security Winner

C. Anandharamakrishnan, PhD

CSIR – National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science & Technology

Sustainability Winner

Amartya Mukhopadhyay, DPhil

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

Healthcare Winner

Raghavan Varadarajan, PhD

Indian Institute of Science

2023 Tata Transformation Prize Winners

Food Security Winner

Shilpi Sharma, PhD

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi

Sustainability Winner

Purnananda Guptasarma, PhD

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali

Healthcare Winner

Anurag S. Rathore, PhD

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi

View the video recording of the Tata Transformation Prize Webinar, which was held on March 28, 2024

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact Us

Award Criteria

About the Tata Group

Winners by Year:
2024 | 2023