‘New Education Policy will trigger problem-solving culture’

The New Education Policy (NEP) will trigger a ‘proactive thinking’ and ‘problem solving’ culture in India and, therefore, a majority of our problems will be addressed through solutions that come out through applied research and basic research, said Narayana Murthy, President, Infosys Science Foundation.

Speaking at a virtual meeting organised by Infosys Science Foundation on Wednesday, Murthy said: “As we start solving some of our problems through technological innovation, the government and policymakers will be encouraged to make bigger budgetary allocations towards technology and scientific research, and it is only a matter of time.”

Role of geo-politics

Responding to a query on whether geopolitics will delay innovation, he said the issue of geo-politics will not hinder collaboration because several issues such as the pandemic, water crisis, climate change and other ecological challenges require experts from all over the world working together to find solutions.

“All these challenges will only bring the world much more closer,” he added

Emphasising on the role of technology, Nandan Nilekani, co-founder, Infosys, said: “The impact of science and technology has never been this profound. Technology is quickly solving the world’s problems, and we have seen this happening in the last some months.”

According to Kris Gopalakrishnan, co-founder, Infosys, this is the best time to do research in India as a collective movement has already started favouring science and technology. “Overall, there is an increased focus on technology and innovation. More importantly, the government has also increased its focus on basic and applied sciences. As a result, we are witnessing an awakening in the ecosystem, which is going to be extremely favourable for science and research in the country,” said Gopalakrishnan.

Infosys Science Foundation (ISF) announced six winners of the Infosys Prize 2020 for their contribution to science and research. The prize, comprising a gold medal, a citation, and a cash award of $100,000, was given for stellar contributions in engineering and computer science; humanities; life sciences; mathematical sciences; physical sciences; and social sciences.

The prize in humanities was awarded to Dr Prachi Deshpande, from the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences (CSSS), Kolkata, for her nuanced and sophisticated treatment of South Asian historiography.

In the life sciences category, Dr Rajan Sankaranarayanan, from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, won the prize for her fundamental contributions towards understanding one of the most basic mechanisms in biology – the error-free translation of the genetic code to make protein molecules.

For mathematical sciences, Prof Sourav Chatterjee, from Stanford University, was awarded the prize for his groundbreaking work in probability and statistical physics.

In the area of physical sciences, Prof Arindam Ghosh, from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, won the award for developing atomically thin two-dimensional semiconductors to build a new generation of functional electronic, thermoelectric and optoelectronic devices.

Prof Raj Chetty, from Harvard University, won the prize under the social sciences category for his pioneering research in identifying barriers to economic opportunity, and for developing solutions that help people escape poverty towards improved life outcomes.

The Infosys Prize 2020 in engineering and computer science was awarded to Prof Hari Balakrishnan, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for his broad contributions to computer networking, and his seminal work on mobile and wireless systems.

The winners were handpicked from 257 nominations by an accomplished jury comprising renowned scholars and professors from around the world, said Infosys.