Glasgow Uni names research centre after John Shaw and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

The University of Glasgow in Scotland, UK has named its new research centre after John Shaw, former Vice-Chairman of Biocon, and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Executive Chairperson of Biocon and Biocon Biologics.

The £116 million building will officially open in June 2022 and will have over 500 researchers from a range of disciplines, facilitating collaborative research, Biocon said in a statement.

John Shaw along with his wife Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw had gifted $7.5 million to the university in July 2019. Their donation was used to set up a new research hub in the university and to create a Professorial Chair, called the Mazumdar-Shaw Chair of Molecular Pathology.

“The University wanted to recognise their generous contribution and commitment to support the science & innovation ecosystem in Glasgow and accordingly decided to name the Centre as The Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre,” Biocon wrote in a press statement.

"The decision to gift to Glasgow was easy, we both feel very strongly that there is a responsibility to share wealth to make a difference. The ARC is about catalysing change in research and that resonates with us. Philanthropy can be a catalyst for change, growth, improvement and development. We are both grateful that we are in the fortunate position to contribute to John’s alma mater and help the University achieve its aspirational goals,” said Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Executive Chairperson, Biocon.

 The University of Glasgow’s Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli said that the Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre is on its way to become operational and the partnership with Biocon aims to explore initiatives such as joint PhDs which provide industry experience and which will help solve real world problems. “The global challenges that we face require team approaches and collaboration across disciplines, and this unique environment will encourage and support interdisciplinary research breakthroughs,” Muscatelli added.

John Shaw is an alumnus of the University of Glasgow, where he completed his M.A. (Hons.) in History and Political Economy in 1970. “He contributed majorly to the transformation of Biocon from a small enzymes company to a globally recognized biopharmaceutical company. In his 22 years at Biocon, he played an important role in building Biocon,” the press statement read.