Three Scientists Win 2024 Tata Transformation Prize from 169 Entries Across 18 States

Tata Transformation Prize 2024 winners announced: Three exceptional scientists, chosen from 169 entries across 18 Indian states, honoured by an international jury of distinguished experts.

Tata Transformation Prize

Tata Sons and the New York Academy of Sciences have announced the second cohort of Tata Transformation Prize winners. Three emerging scientific leaders in India are honoured for pioneering solutions to critical challenges, including malnutrition and diabetes, advanced energy storage, and the development of a novel RSV vaccine.  

Out of 169 entries from 18 Indian states, three scientists were chosen by an international jury of renowned experts. Each winner will be awarded INR 2 crores (around US$240,000) and celebrated at a ceremony in Mumbai in December 2024. The jury consisted of distinguished scientists, clinicians, technologists, and engineers from a wide range of industries, government bodies, and academic institutions, including Apple, IBM Research, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Institute of Advanced Studies, and the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore.

The Tata Transformation Prize 2024 Winners

Check the names of winners in three categories: Food Security, Sustainability, and Healthcare:

• Dr. C. Anandharamakrishnan, CSIR - National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (Food Security): He has developed fortified rice with essential nutrients and a low glycemic index to address malnutrition and diabetes in India. His innovative food technologies, including a three-fluid nozzle spray drying process and Asia’s first artificial gastrointestinal system, ensure efficient nutrient delivery and absorption. His work targets hunger, nutrient deficiencies, and metabolic disorders, benefiting both India’s underserved population and the 2 billion people globally affected by micronutrient malnutrition.
• Amartya Mukhopadhyay, DPhil, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay (Sustainability): He is advancing sodium-ion (Na-ion) battery technology as a sustainable, affordable alternative to lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. His breakthrough prototype is 30% cheaper, safer, and operates in a wider temperature range. By developing air- and water-stable cathodes and alloy-based anodes, and using water-based processing to replace toxic solvents, his work reduces production costs and environmental impact, addressing global energy sustainability needs.
• Raghavan Varadarajan​, PhD, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (Healthcare): He is developing a cost-effective RSV vaccine to tackle the high mortality rates of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), which affects over 30 million people annually, especially in developing countries like India. Leveraging his lab's expertise in protein structure and vaccine design, Dr. Varadarajan aims to create a vaccine offering broad, long-lasting protection. By optimizing the manufacturing process using advanced protein production techniques, his team hopes to reduce the cost of each dose by up to 95%, making the vaccine accessible to at-risk populations.

N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman of the Board of Tata Sons, said, “We are pleased to announce the Tata Transformation Prize Winners for the second year. By supporting pioneering Indian scientists in scaling up their pathbreaking innovations, Tata Group hopes to improve the lives of the Indian people and develop India into a world-class innovator. This prize is intended to provide these scientists with the international visibility to promote these Indian technologies to the rest of the world.”

Nicholas B. Dirks, President and CEO of The New York Academy of Sciences, said, “Congratulations to the second cohort of Winners of the Tata Transformation Prize. From addressing India’s issues such as malnutrition and diabetes, to an RSV vaccine that reduces mortality in the most vulnerable populations, to improving India’s energy storage capacity through greener, more cost-effective battery technologies – these scientists are using their innovations to bolster Indian society.”

About the Tata Transformation Prize

Established in 2022 by Tata Sons and powered by the New York Academy of Sciences, the Tata Transformation Prize supports breakthrough technologies addressing India’s critical challenges. Focusing on Food Security, Sustainability, and Healthcare, the Prize recognises visionary scientists developing innovative solutions to improve life quality across India and beyond. By promoting high-risk, high-reward research, it aims to drive impactful innovation and scale successful implementations that enhance India’s societal needs and economic competitiveness.

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