Mumbai: Three Indian scientists, including one from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B), were on Monday awarded the prestigious Tata Transformation Prize 2024 for their pioneering solutions to some of India’s most pressing challenges in the fields of food security, sustainability, and healthcare.

The annual prize, instituted by Tata Sons in collaboration with The New York Academy of Sciences in 2022, aims to recognise and support visionary Indian scientists developing technologies with transformative societal impact. Each winner, selected from 169 entries across 18 states by an international jury, will receive ₹2 crore (approximately USD 240,000) and will be honoured at a ceremony in Mumbai this December.

For his innovation in the field of food security, Dr. C. Anandharamakrishnan from CSIR – NIIST received the prestigious award. To combat India’s twin challenges of malnutrition and diabetes, Dr. Anandharamakrishnan has developed fortified rice enriched with essential nutrients and a low glycemic index (GI) to regulate blood sugar levels.

His advanced food technologies, including a three-fluid nozzle spray drying process, ensure efficient nutrient delivery and absorption. With Asia's first artificial gastrointestinal system, his work addresses critical health needs for India’s underserved and millions globally affected by micronutrient deficiencies.

Dr. Amartya Mukhopadhyay of IIT-B received the award for his innovation in the field of sustainability. In response to India’s reliance on imported materials for lithium-ion batteries, Dr. Mukhopadhyay has innovated cost-effective and eco-friendly sodium-ion (Na-ion) batteries.

His prototypes are 30% cheaper, operate in a broader temperature range, and use non-toxic, water-based processing methods. These advancements promise to boost India’s energy storage capacity sustainably while reducing dependence on imported materials.

Dr. Raghavan Varadarajan from IISc, Bangalore was awarded for his innovation in the healthcare field. To tackle the high mortality caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Dr. Varadarajan is developing an affordable vaccine optimised for developing countries.

Leveraging expertise in protein structure and vaccine design, his team aims to cut production costs by up to 95%, making the vaccine accessible to vulnerable populations, including children and the elderly.

While announcing the awards, N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, said, “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, lauded the winners for their transformative contributions. 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” he said while thanking Tata Sons for “sponsoring this visionary prize”.