Mashelkar to deliver lecture at Cambridge

Noted scientist and former director-general of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), R A Mashelkar will deliver the inaugural BP Lecture for the Centre for India and Global Business (CIGB) at the Judge Business School of the University of Cambridge.

A distinguished scientist holding several key positions in Indian industry and science establishment, Mashelkar is currently the CSIR Bhatnagar Fellow at the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) and also the President of the Global Research Alliance.

He was also the President of the Indian National Science Academy and President of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (UK).

He is known for his scholarship in polymer science and engineering. His contributions in the field of gel science, non-Newtonian fluid mechanics and polymer reaction engineering have won him many laurels.

In the post-liberalised India, Mashelkar played a critical role in shaping India's science, technology and innovation policies. He was honoured with Padmashri (1991) and with Padmabhushan (2000), in recognition of his contribution to nation-building.

His CIGB BP Lecture on Monday is entitled 'Indian Science, Technology and Innovation: The Changing Landscape', a university release said.

Mashelkar will discuss how India has emerged, post -1991 liberalisation, as a global R&D hub with more than 700 major global companies setting up their R&D centres in the country, and how this, coupled with Indian enterprises shifting from imitation to innovation, has triggered the reversal of the brain drain.

The lecture will argue how the incessant quest for truly inclusive growth is leading to India becoming a global leader in 'inclusive innovation'.