Tata’s funds for new facility at IISc

Tata’s funds for new facility at IISc


Front row and from left) Ratan Tata, Prof CNR Rao, Dr Kasturirangan and IISc Director Prof P Balaram.
Express News Service First Published : 28 May 2009 04:40:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 28 May 2009 09:00:17 AM IST
BANGALORE: Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata, on Wednesday announced that the Tata group would donate a substantial amount for a new facility at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
It is worth recalling that Ratan is the great grandson of Jamshedji Tata, who was the institute's founder.
Speaking at IISc’s centenary celebrations, Tata said that this would be the group’s contribution for the institute’s new century, in addition to the grants that the Tata group has already given to it.
According to IISc officials, this grant will go towards the setting up of an inter-disciplinary research centre, which will focus on problem solving.
The centre will concentrate on solving ten problems in three broad areas - energy, biomolecular engineering and material sciences.
Addressing the staff and students, Tata said, “We must re-invent ourselves with regard to how we operate. We have to tear down the silos, barriers and hierarchies in which we have been functioning. I hope the multidisciplinary and multi-tasking approach in science and technology will bring this about.” He said that faculty and students should be given the freedom to participate and the freedom to dream.
Ratan Tata also released the IISc centenary medallion on the occasion.
Former IISc director and chairman of the centenary celebrations committee Prof CNR Rao, said that for the next 100 years, IISc must be very choosy about the courses it starts.
“We have a tendency to start any programme, which sinks in a few years,” he said.
IISc must look to setting up science parks on the lines of the Cambridge science parks, Rao added.
IISc Council chairman Dr Kasturirangan, said that it was time to introduce a strong component of the humanities in the institute.
“I request the director to take a look at improving the synergy between the National Institute of Advanced Studies and IISc for achieving this,” he said.
IISc must look at forming a very strong group in modelling and simulation, particularly in the area of climate sciences, Kasturirangan added.