Passion for science, scientific research lies at the core of Infosys and its founders, says IT stalwart Kris Gopalakrishnan

Infosys' co-founder and IT stalwart, Kris Gopalakrishnan says that as India's GDP grows, it is high time science and technology becomes an important focus for both the government as well as for the private sector.

"As [India's] GDP grows, investment in research is the same. Even today India invests 0.07 per cent of its GDP in scientific research. Among this, 0.5 per cent comes from the government and 0.2 from the industry, roughly speaking," he said. For Gopalakrishnan this number, especially at this juncture that India is in, is low and it is high time the funding in science and technology sees an upward trend. As he explains, this was the philosophy behind setting up the Infosys Science Foundation (ISF), under whose aegis, the prestigious Infosys Prize is awarded.

The Infosys Prize, which awards $100,000 to each laureate, easily makes it one of the richest such awards in India and the laureates for this year were awarded today.

"First and foremost, I strongly believe that India has to become a leader in scientific research in the world. This is a belief we the founders [of Infosys] strongly share, and continue to share, and was the basic philosophy underpinning the formation of Infosys Science Foundation way back in 2009," Gopalakrishnan told BT. As he explains, it is imperative for India to not just fund research, but to also identify scientific leaders and to make icons of them so that the new generation can see them as examples and carry the torch forward.

About ISF, Gopalakrishnan is clear that as an organisation, its role is multi-faceted. As he says, the foundation's thrust is not just on awarding scientific community, but also in the dissemination of scientific knowledge, and getting the masses acquainted with cutting edge scientific technology and research.

Talking about his own personal journey, Gopalakrishnan pointed out that when he stepped down from Infosys, he decided to dedicate his life to the furtherance of science, primarily via his family philanthropic organisation, the Pratiksha Trust.

"When I stepped down from Infosys, I decided to broaden this by funding research through my family trust -- the Pratiksha Trust. Area we chose was brain and brain research, because brain inspired computers. It was important to focus on this part of research, both from computer side and neuroscience side, and in particular the issue of neuro degeneration that leads to various kinds of ailments: dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, etc. That is the focus of our family philanthropy," the IT stalwart pointed out.

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