Infosys Foundation gives Rs 6.5 crore to astrophysics centre

Infosys foundation, the philanthropic arm of India's IT major Infosys Ltd, on Thursday said it has given Rs 6.5 crore through an endowment fund to Inter-University Center of Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA).

IUCAA is a Pune-based autonomous institution set up by the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India to promote the nucleation and growth of active groups in astronomy and astrophysics at Indian universities.

The fund is allocated primarily for building an instrument called Wide Area Linear Optical Polarimeter (WALOP). The instrument, which is at the design stage currently, will be used to measure polarization caused by interstellar dust and to map the distribution of dust in the Milky Way Galaxy.

The pact, signed between Infosys foundation and IUCAA, says the endowment fund will also be used to boost international travel, post-doctorate fellowships and thematic workshops among researchers of IUCAA.

"Astronomy fuels the most basic of human curiosity and seeks answers to elementary questions related to the origin of our universe. Historically, ancient Indian scientists like Varahamira and Aryabhatta contributed immensely to the field of astronomy. The Foundation is excited to collaborate with IUCAA, an institute dedicated to the study of Astronomy and Astrophysics, in their endeavor of developing a new instrument that will greatly benefit the research community,"  said Sudha Murty, Chairperson of Infosys Foundation,.