New Delhi: Ashoka University on Tuesday introduced collectively main scientists from India and overseas to deliberate on how world scientific priorities should evolve amid local weather change, technological disruption and rising uncertainty, with Nobel laureate Jack Szostak noting that whereas India has immense scientific expertise, its total funding in science stays modest.
The dialogue, titled “Mapping Scientific Priorities in a World in Churn”, was held at the India International Centre and featured members of Ashoka University’s Science Advisory Council together with internationally famend researchers.
Addressing the gathering, Szostak, Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine (2009) and Professor of Chemistry at the University of Chicago, stated international locations the world over are adopting sharply totally different approaches to funding science.
“Some nations are making major investments in science and technology to improve people’s lives, while others are cutting funding for science, medical research and education at precisely the moment when these investments are needed most,” he stated.
Referring to India, Szostak stated the nation has “enormously talented people” however investments in science and know-how are nonetheless restricted. “There are bright spots of world-class research, but they are small compared to what India could achieve. Increasing investment in science and technology is the most effective way to address pressing social challenges,” he added.
The session was moderated by Ok VijayRaghavan, Chair of Ashoka University’s Science Advisory Council and former Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, who underlined the rising accountability of science in shaping the planet’s future.
“Humans are no longer just survivors; we are stewards of the planet. That places an enormous responsibility on science not only to understand the universe, but to shape the future responsibly,” VijayRaghavan stated, inviting panelists to replicate on analysis priorities in areas corresponding to local weather change, synthetic intelligence and public well being.
Yamuna Krishnan, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Chicago, pressured the significance of worldwide collaboration in constructing scientific excellence.
“International collaboration is always a win-win. Countries like China and South Korea invested aggressively in the international components of their science decades ago. India remains cautious, and what is needed is funding at scale, beyond symbolic support, to achieve global impact,” she stated.
Highlighting dangers posed by unsure analysis funding, Priyamvada Natarajan, Professor of Astronomy and Physics at Yale University, warned {that a} lack of sustained help for elementary science could lead on to the lack of a complete technology of early-career scientists.
“This is a unique moment for India to step up investments in a few high-impact, interdisciplinary areas. With strategic funding, India has the opportunity not just to follow but to define the next frontiers of science,” she stated.
Rajesh Gopakumar, Director of the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS–TIFR), cautioned towards complacency and known as for internationalising Indian science. “To move forward, we need to globalise our benchmarks and have the confidence to see science as an open-ended, collaborative activity,” he stated.
Concluding the session, Vijay Raghavan stated that whereas India has made important investments in choose missions and establishments, the problem lies in widening entry to analysis funding and strengthening the flexibility of rising establishments to utilise sources successfully.
The occasion additionally marked the launch of Dimensions, a brand new science journal by Ashoka University aimed at showcasing early-stage analysis and fostering scientific inquiry amongst faculty and undergraduate college students.
