The Infosys Science Foundation – the not-for-profit trust set up by multinational IT giant Infosys in 2009 – on Thursday inaugurated its first physical space in Bengaluru. The foundation announced its new home – in the city’s Jayanagar neighbourhood – with a tweet: “There’s a new address in town. A meeting place of minds. A space for the Sciences. A stage for thinkers and scholars. Science has a new address.”
The opening ceremony saw Kris Gopalakrishnan, foundation president and Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy among those in attendance.
“The trustees felt ISF must have a modern, comfortable, technology-enabled, and productive home in the city with an easy connection to the public transportation system so students and teachers interested in research can easily participate in science-related events,” Narayana Murthy said in his keynote address.
“My fond hope is this modern building will be a citadel of openness to new ideas, curiosity, critical thinking, healthy skepticism, and agreeable disagreement for our young minds, and shape their minds to become good researchers.”
“What is science, after all? Science is about unravelling the mysteries of nature.”
Kris Gopalakrishnan said: “I don’t think anywhere in the world such a congregation of science, engineering, research and arts is there (as in Bangalore).”
The inauguration also saw young scientists and researchers participate in panel discussions.
The IFS awards the Infosys Prize – an annual award for outstanding achievements in six categories: engineering and computer science, humanities, life sciences, mathematical sciences, physical sciences and social science.
Each award carries a prize of $US 100,000 or its equivalent in Indian rupees.
