MAKING SCIENCE WORK FOR INDIA
CURATING SCIENCE > CREATING IMPACT
CURATING SCIENCE > CREATING IMPACT
CURATING SCIENCE > CREATING IMPACT
CURATING SCIENCE > CREATING IMPACT
OUR PURPOSE
Making science work for India
For Scientific research to drive economic prosperity it has to be: funded adequately, executed with precision and coupled to market mechanisms that leverage scientific discoveries for social benefit.
Ignite will use funding provided by enlightened Donors to accomplish all three objectives.
By transforming how research is funded and executed, we will amplify the positive impact of the work our scientists do!
WHAT WE DO
Grant funding and Sustainability initiatives
We fund good science! But we actually do much more than that. We lower barriers for young and promising investigators to get funding. We simplify the process for obtaining funding even as we put greater emphasis on the scientific merit of the projects we fund. Efficient project execution is key. We support the investigator through the life cycle of the project to ensure high-quality project execution. Upon project completion, we support the investigator in the translational work needed to make the project outcome ready for practical use and commercial development (when appropriate).
Along with project funding, we help build scientist communities, partner with other private foundations with similar goals, help train young scientists through the Ignite Fellow program and fill gaps in the research ecosystem. These make up our Sustainability Initiatives that sustain the impact of what we do over the long-term...
WHO WE ARE
BOARD MEMBERS
Pankaj Chandra, (Chairperson - IgniteLSF)
Vice Chancellor - Ahmedabad University
Anand Anandkumar
CEO - Bugworks
Jogin Desai
CEO - Eyestem Research
Jyotsna Dhawan
Emeritus Scientist - CCMB, Hyderabad
Shahid Jameel
Fellow - Green Templeton College, University of Oxford
K. Jayshankar
Managing Director - Empowered Learning
Bhairavi Madhusudhan Shibulal
Director - Solis Health
Ramaswamy Subramanian
Director - Bindley Bioscience Center, Purdue University
Swami Subramaniam
Director - Ignite LSF
Prof. Shahid Jameel, PhD
Fellow - Green Templeton College, University of Oxford
Dr. Shahid Jameel is presently a Fellow at the University of Oxford. Before this he was Director - Trivedi School of Biosciences at Ashoka University and Chief Executive Officer of The Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance. Prior to this, he was instrumental in setting up and leading the Virology Group at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi for 25 years where his research focused on human viruses.
Dr. Jameel is an elected Fellow of the All Science Academies of India. His research has also been recognized with many awards and grants, notably the BM Birla Science Prize in Biology (1995), the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Medical Sciences (2000) and an International Senior Research Fellowship of The WellcomeTrust, UK (2001-2006).
He serves as a member and Chair of many national and international bodies and has also been active in science policies and administration for over two decades.
Anand Anandkumar, PhD
CEO - Bugworks
A PhD in Electrical and Biomedical Engineering with more than 28 years experience spanning Semiconductor, Electronic Design Automation and Bio-pharmaceutical industries, Anand is the Co-founder Bugworks, Cellworks and Escape Velocity Accelerator.
Bugworks, a US and India based company solving Global Antibiotic crisis using novel techniques to design next-generation Antibiotics. Escape Velocity Accelerator is a first of its kind accelerator aimed at promoting entrepreneurship in medical technologies.
His specialties cover the Semiconductor and Bio-Pharma industry, with emphasis in setting up and managing International operations particularly out of India and China, managing Operations, RD groups, WW business development and Sales channels.
Prof. Pankaj Chandra, PhD (Chair)
Vice Chancellor - Ahmedabad University
Pankaj is currently a Professor, Vice Chancellor, and Chairman of the Board of Governors of Ahmedabad University. Before this he was the Director of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. He is a PhD from the Wharton Business School and is a committed Educationist and innovation expert. He is on the Board of several organizations including the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), which he helped found. BIRAC is the largest public funding agency for Biotech Startups in India. He has authored "Building Universities That Matter: Where Are Indian Institutions Going Wrong?”.
Dr. Jogin Desai
CEO - Eyestem Research
Jogin is the Founder and CEO of Eyestem Research, a startup working to make stem cell therapeutics an affordable reality for multiple therapeutic indications, starting with dry age related macular degeneration. Eyestem’s first product aims to treat dry age related macular degeneration- a blinding, incurable disease that affects 170 M people worldwide. Jogin brings more than 15 years of experience in growing and nurturing businesses to his newest venture. Prior to Eyestem, he was part of the global leadership team at Quintiles and led their cardiac safety business from 2001 to 2007. More recently, he was the CEO of Cenduit, the world’s largest standalone clinical trial randomization company with offices in Bangalore, Basel, Philadelphia and North Carolina and a joint venture between Quintiles and Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Prof. Jyotsna Dhawan, PhD
Emeritus Scientist - CCMB, Hyderabad
Dr. Jyotsna Dhawan obtained a PhD in cell biology and biochemistry from Boston University in 1991 and pursued postdoctoral work on stem cells and gene therapy at Stanford University. She joined the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad, India in 1996. After retirement she continues to run an active research program as Emeritus Scientist. From 2009-2014, she helped establish the Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (InStem) in Bangalore. She has won many honors and awards, as well been an active member of several committees and international panels, including the Human Frontier Science Program.
K. Jayshankar
Managing Director - Empowered Learning
Jay is the Managing Director of Empowered Learning. A Certified Management Consultant (CMC) with over four decades experience in industry, he specializes in supporting Family businesses achieve greater success, and empowering learning throughout organisations. Further, he has been an Executive Coach for senior business leaders for many years.
Prof. Ramaswamy Subramanian, PhD
Director - Bindley Bioscience Center, Purdue University
Professor of Biological Sciences Biomedical Engineering; Director, Bindley Bioscience Center at Purdue University.
Rams is known as an outstanding Scientist, Science Administrator, Institution Builder, Consultant, Entrepreneur, Advisor, Teacher, and Enabler. He is a structural biologist with expertise in protein crystallography and electron cryo-microscopy, who earned his Ph.D. in molecular biophysics from the Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore. After graduation, he moved to Uppsala, Sweden, for a fellowship at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Ramaswamy stayed at SLU for eight years, serving as a researcher and docent before moving to Iowa City for a faculty position at the University of Iowa. While working as assistant dean and director of core research facilities in Iowa, Ramaswamy helped create a unique structural biology program -- an accomplishment he later duplicated at inSTEM in India. Ramaswamy was the founding Dean at inStem also co-founded and served as the first CEO of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Platforms, Bangalore, a life sciences innovation hub for academia, industry and start-up companies.
Bhairavi Madhusudhan Shibulal
Director - Solis Health
Bhairavi Madhusudhan Shibulal is the Founder and Director of Solis Health - India’s first suite of empathetic and person-centric healthcare solutions. Solis Health empowers patients, caregivers and families with the tools and information to make informed treatment decisions. Solis Health democratizes access to healthcare and allied health services.
She is also an active healthcare investor and has backed innovative enterprises, both within India and overseas, working in diverse areas ranging from therapeutics to genomic analysis to comprehensive care platforms.
After working in private equity, strategy consulting and retail research firms Bhairavi moved back to India to care for her mother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer. This sensitized her to the gaps that exist in the healthcare system and she founded Solis Health in her mother’s memory.
She is a Trustee of The Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives, which is focused on transforming lives through impactful interventions in education, and a Founding Supporter of The/Nudge Institute, an action institute that partners with governments, markets, and civil society to work towards poverty eradication in India.
Bhairavi is an alumnus of the prestigious dual-degree Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Swami Subramaniam, MD, PhD
Director - Ignite LSF
Swami is a physician-scientist who has trained both as a clinical pharmacologist (MD, PGI-Chandigarh) and as a molecular neuropharmacologist (PhD - University of Pennsylvania). As a visiting scientist at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda (Maryland, USA) he studied the modulation of excitatory receptors in the brain using electrophysiological techniques. After his return to India Swami has worked in drug discovery, drug development, and business development in the biopharmaceutical industry for over twenty years. He led the filing of the first IND by an Indian company for a novel topoisomerase inhibiting anticancer drug and then led the execution of the Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies. He was responsible for giving shape and initial impetus to Dr Reddy’s foray into providing pharmaceutical services. In 2002 he led the founding of Aurigene Discovery Technologies, a discovery start-up in Bengaluru. He has worked for Merck and Co., Inc. as a licensing and business development lead for the South and South-East Asia regions in which role he was responsible for managing multiple discovery partnerships between Merck and Indian companies. In his last corporate position he was Head–R&D for Abbott Nutrition in India.
He won a Gurukul Chevening Fellowship in 1999 for leadership excellence at the London School of Economics. He has also trained in executive programs at Stanford GSB, IIM Ahmedabad and Indian School of Business.
Swami has authored two books - “Mastering Sleep” and “Healing Hands”.
SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD
T.S. Balganesh
President, Gangagen Biotechnologies Pvt Ltd.
Richard Henderson
Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge
Ajay Kohli
Research Director, International Rice Research Institute, Manila
Satyajit Mayor
Distinguished Professor, NCBS-TIFR, Bengaluru
K. K. Narayanan
Founder-Director Sthayika Seeds Private Limited
Swami Subramaniam
Member
Soumya Swaminathan
Chairperson, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF)
Venky Venkatesan, T
Director, Center for Quantum Research and Technology, University of Oklahoma
Dr. T.S. Balganesh
Dr. T.S. Balganesh is trained as a Medical Microbiologist from Jawaharlal Institute Post-Graducate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry and Ph.D from University of Calcutta. He has also awarded an honorary doctoral degree from the University of Uppsala, Sweden, in 2009.
Possessing more than three decades of experience in antimicrobial drug discovery, Dr Balganesh served as Head of Research at AstraZeneca’s antibacterial drug discovery unit in Bangalore before rising to become the Managing Director and member of the board of AstraZeneca India Pvt. Ltd. Currently, he is holding the position of President and a Director on the board of GangaGen Biotechnologies Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore. He also serves as an advisory member of several national and international grant committees.
Dr. Richard Henderson
Dr. Richard Henderson, is a scientist at the MRC laboratory of Molecular Biology at Cambridge, England. He joined MRC in 1973 and was the Director of the center from 1996-2006. He is a pioneer who was involved in developing high resolution electron cryo-microscopy for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2018. He has many awards and honors to his credit. He has also been closely associated with India and has helped develop Structural Biology in India.
Dr. Ajay Kohli
Dr. Ajay Kohli brings 33 years of experience in biological research and leadership. Most of his experience is in rice molecular biology and biochemistry but he has also handled Azospirillum, mung bean, Jatropha, and human DNA. Over the last few years, he held sequential leadership positions at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) as Senior Scientist, Head of Department, Platform Leader, and now Deputy Director General for Research and Innovation. Ajay has held positions in India, Philippines, UK, and USA, with short stints in Germany, Italy, Taiwan, and Australia. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Science (NAAS) India. Ajay is interested in rice-based food system solutions to food and nutrition security, climate change and social equity and is passionate about linking basic upstream science to downstream products for the One-Health concept encompassing society, economy, and environment.
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan
A globally recognized physician-scientist in the area of tuberculosis and HIV, Dr Swaminathan brings with her 30 years of experience in research, clinical care, policy and translation of research into impactful programmes. She was most recently Chief Scientist and before that, Deputy Director-General for Programmes at the World Health Organization. Prior to that, Dr Swaminathan was Secretary to the Government of India for Health Research and Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (2015 to 2017). In these positions, she brought science and evidence into health policy-making, building research capacity, and forging international partnerships in health sciences.
Dr. Venky Venkatesan, T
Dr. Venkatesan is a Physicist. He got his PhD working in Bell Labs and is an academic and entrepreneur. Besides Bell Labs and Bellcore as scientist/ manager, he was a Professor/ Director at Rutgers, Maryland and NUS. He is the inventor of the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) process, a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), winner of the Bellcore Award of excellence, George E Pake Prize of the APS. Besides he has published over 780 papers and has 32 patents. He is the founder and chairman of Neocera (since 1989) and is also the co-founder of Blue Wave Semiconductors, Cellivate and Breathonix. He has not forgotten his roots and he and his family are involved in a number of social activities in India.
Dr. Satyajit Mayor
Dr. Satyajit Mayor is one of the most celebrated biological scientists in India today. He is former Director of the National Center for Biological Sciences. He is a fellow of many academies and societies including a Fellow of the American National Academy of Sciences. He is one of the co-founder of Center for Cellular and Molecular Platforms the first innovation acceleration platform in India. He has been involved in many activities to promote science and scientists in India, including being the founder and active board member of India Bioscience.
Dr. K. K. Narayanan
KK is an academician turned entrepreneur, who is trained as a plant breeder and molecular biologist. He graduated with a Ph.D. in Plant Breeding and Genetics from the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India, and later on went on to do a post-doctoral stint at the Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University under a Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship.
Returning to India, he started his career as a scientist at the SPIC Science Foundation, Chennai before moving on to lead the Crop Transformation and Functional Genomics programme at the Monsanto Research Centre at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. In 2002, he co-founded Metahelix Life Sciences, a Bangalore-based Agbiotech Company that is focused on developing technologies for crop improvement. He was its Managing Director, till it was acquired by Rallis India Limited, a TATA group Company in 2016, by when it was one of the leading Ag-tech companies in the country. He later co-founded and Chaired the Board of Kottaram Agro-Foods, a food technology enterprise which makes packaged food products under the brand name SOULFULL using traditional Indian grains like Ragi. This Company was also recently acquired by TATA Consumer Products Limited.
Dr. K. K. Narayanan has been a member of several committees and advisory bodies including several Task Forces and Working Groups of the DBT, Government of India. He is a member of the “Vision Group” on Biotechnology set up by the State Government of Karnataka. He has been a member of the Executive Council of the Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE), an association of the Indian Biotechnology Industry, and is one of its past-Presidents.
Dr. K. K. Narayanan is involved with several Government initiatives that promote entrepreneurship and mentors several start-up companies. He is also on Board of several companies engaged in the use of modern technologies for crop and animal improvement. In addition, he is also involved with social and community development projects that leverage agricultural technologies to improve rural incomes and livelihood security.
Swami Subramaniam, MD, PhD
Director - IgniteLSF
Swami is a physician-scientist who has trained both as a clinical pharmacologist (MD, PGI-Chandigarh) and as a molecular neuropharmacologist (PhD - University of Pennsylvania). As a visiting scientist at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda (Maryland, USA) he studied the modulation of excitatory receptors in the brain using electrophysiological techniques. After his return to India Swami has worked in drug discovery, drug development, and business development in the biopharmaceutical industry for over twenty years. He led the filing of the first IND by an Indian company for a novel topoisomerase inhibiting anticancer drug and then led the execution of the Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies. He was responsible for giving shape and initial impetus to Dr Reddy’s foray into providing pharmaceutical services. In 2002 he led the founding of Aurigene Discovery Technologies, a discovery start-up in Bengaluru. He has worked for Merck and Co., Inc. as a licensing and business development lead for the South and South-East Asia regions in which role he was responsible for managing multiple discovery partnerships between Merck and Indian companies. In his last corporate position he was Head–R&D for Abbott Nutrition in India.
He won a Gurukul Chevening Fellowship in 1999 for leadership excellence at the London School of Economics. He has also trained in executive programs at Stanford GSB, IIM Ahmedabad and Indian School of Business.
Swami has authored two books - “Mastering Sleep” and “Healing Hands”.
Over the years his tennis game has become worse (he plays with forgiving friends!) although (he thinks) his writing has improved (still to be proven based on the tepid sales of the two books he has written).
Despite this he is not discouraged and is 'cruising' to releasing his third book (co-authored) - Mission: Possible - Accelerating India's Journey Toward Universal Health Coverage
Shravanti Rampalli
CEO - Ignite LSF
Shravanti Rampalli is a distinguished scientist with extensive expertise at the intersection of Epigenetics and Stem Cell Biology. She earned her PhD in 2006 from the National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS), Pune, followed by advanced postdoctoral training at the Ottawa Health Research Institute and McMaster University in Canada. In 2011, Shravanti launched her independent career as an Assistant Professor at the Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (inStem), Bangalore, where she established a pioneering research program in Stem Cell Biology.
In 2020, she moved to the CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) to further explore her interests in the molecular basis of stemness. Her substantial contributions to the field are evidenced by a record of publications in high-impact journals, patents, and prestigious awards recognizing her scientific excellence and pedagogical contributions.
Beyond her research, Shravanti also served as Head of Business Development at CSIR-IGIB, where she applied her scientific insights and leadership skills to foster institutional growth. Her Executive MBA from the Indian School of Business further underscores her expertise in strategic management and positions her as a leader at the interface of science and business.
Ramona Parsani
Vice President - Alliances
Ramona has a plethora of experience in the corporate world and the social sector. Her roles at NGOs such as Ekansh Trust, that advocates for Equal access for People with Disabilities, and at Katalyst, an organization that provides mentorship for women in professional programs, had earned her a place as the external member of the POSH committee for RiseSmart in Pune.
She has developed e-Com Business Verticals in Education and Fashion for Vishwakarma Group. Prior to this, as the Digital Transformation Specialist, also for Vishwakarma Group, she has played a pivotal role to transition legacy business to become future ready through digitalization. She has built internal digital practice and capabilities, client marketing strategies and creative execution to reach consumers, locally and globally, in the cluttered digital, mobile, and social arena.
It's not mountains over beaches for her, it's both. She is on Instagram for over-the-top dog, racoon and cat personalities, in that order. Ramona is an avid reader and is a co-founder of a Book Club in Pune that has been running for the last 18 years and is a postgraduate from S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai.
Andrea Antony
Program Manager
Andrea is a wonderful mix of scientific prowess and artistic passion. She holds a Master’s in Nanobiotechnology and secured the 2nd rank at University for her Bachelor’s degree. Beyond academics her interests, like rich tapestry, include films, music, gastronomy, and the expressive arts of both fine art and portrait sketching.
With contagious cheerfulness, she approaches life with a perpetual smile. Her commitment to quality work is mirrored in both her professional endeavors and personal expressions.
As she continues on this fascinating journey in life, she looks forward to connecting with like-minded individuals, exchanging ideas, and making meaningful contributions to the world.
OUR TEAM
Shravanti Rampalli
CEO
Ramona Parsani
Vice President - Alliances
Andrea Antony
Program Manager
Ramesh Sistla
Founder & MD, Think Molecular
Ramesh Sistla is the founder and MD of thinkMolecular, a startup focused on molecular simulations to advance drug discovery. The startup designs small molecule therapeutics in collaboration with global biotechs.
He builds on his previous experience as the CADD groups at BMS(BBRC) in Syngene and prior to that at Aurigene. His group was responsible for supporting the inventions led by 100+ strong medicinal chemistry group across India and US. This has led to his being a co-inventor in more than thirty patents and 15 research publications until now.
Ramesh has a Ph. D. in condensed matter physics from IIT Madras and worked in computational biology at the MBU in IISc for his post doctoral research. His current areas of research include molecular recognition of ligands by target proteins, role of water in the protein-ligand interactions, metabolism prediction and AI/ML approaches along with physics based methods.
Satyajit Rath
Professor Emeritus
Satyajit Rath was trained as a physician and a pathologist in Pune and Mumbai in the seventies and eighties, but since then he has worked on mechanisms involved in the development and functioning of the immune system, initially in India and overseas, then as a faculty member at the National Institute of Immunology (NII) in New Delhi, and since retirement, in an honorary capacity, at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Pune. He also works with the government on issues of science and society-related policy, with scientific journals in an editorial capacity, with small companies on drug discovery, and with civil society groups, especially those involved in science education and those working more broadly at the interface of science and society.
Suhaib Siddiqi
Scientist
Suhaib Siddiqi is a scientist in the field of infectious diseases, nucleic acids and genomics. As a head of the departments, he led the research and development efforts at various biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. He was the first director of chemistry at Moderna.
He has a doctorate in Chemistry from the University of Technology, Vienna, Austria. He currently serves as a scientific advisor to various biotechnology companies. He was inventor of a potent antiviral agent, (-)-5’-Noraristeromycin and Virtual Terminators for the DNA/RNA sequencing. He has published 31 peer-reviewed papers, and 47 patents.
Vineeta Bal
Professor Emeritus
Vineeta Bal is trained as a physician and worked as a researcher in immunology through her working life. She was a faculty at the National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi earlier and now is affiliated with IISER Pune in an honorary capacity. Cellular immunology and infectious disease immunology are areas of her research interest.
A.K. Singh
Former Director and Vice Chancellor, IARI, Pusa, New Delhi
A.K Singh, presently Emeritus Scientist, Division of Genetics, IARI, New delhi, is a renowned rice breeder who has been associated with development of 25 Basmati rice varieties at IARI, New Delhi during last 30 years of his service. These varieties are currently grown in 2-million-hectare area and contribute Rs. 50,000/- crores of foreign exchange annually to the nation while bringing prosperity to millions of Basmati farmers.
During his tenure as Director and Vice-Chancellor Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, IARI was bestowed with Sardar Patel Outstanding Award, 1st rank under National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF) and Indian Institute Ranking Framework (IIRF) in agriculture and allied sector. IARI also achieved 67th position in the world ranking and 8th position among Asian universities in the field of agriculture under EduRank, a UK based global ranking agency.
He played lead role in making fully functional, the two IARI like institutions namely, IARI-Assam and IARI-Jharkhand, which will pave way for bringing Green Revolution in Eastern and North- Eastern India. He pioneered the alignment of agricultural education with NEP 2020 towards establishing MERU (Multidisciplinary Education and Research University). These are being further strengthened by educational hubs linking with ICAR institutes and other institutions, ultimately evolving into a global centre of excellence in agricultural research, science, technology, and innovation leading to a highly ranked university in the world.
He was also instrumental in establishing two overseas educational/research institutions namely, Advanced Centre for Agricultural Research and Education (ACARE) in Myanmar and Afghanistan National Agricultural Sciences and Technology University (ANASTU) in Kandhar, Afghanistan.
Singh is Fellow of Indian National Science Academy (INSA), New Delhi, National Academy of Sciences (NASI), Allahabad and National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), New Delhi. He has been bestowed with ICAR-Rafi Ahamad Kidwai Award, ICAR- C. Subramaniam Award, Nanaji Deshmukh ICAR Award for Outstanding Interdisciplinary Team Research in Agricultural and Allied Sciences. Borlaug Award, VASVIK Award, Om Prakash Bhasin Award, Ram Chandra Rao Memorial award, IARI-BP Pal award and IARI-Best Teacher Award for significant contribution to research, teaching and transfer of technology.
Javed Iqbal
Founder and Chairman
Incor Life Sciences
Hyderabad
https://incorrenovis.com/
Prof Iqbal graduated from Delhi University and worked as a post-doctoral fellow at Cambridge University in the research group of Prof Ian Fleming, FRS. He later moved to Oxford University and worked as a research fellow with Prof J. E. Baldwin, FRS. He was a Professor at IIT Kanpur during 1984-99 and later moved to Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd (DRL), Hyderabad where he served as Distinguished Research Scientist and Global Head, Discovery Chemistry and subsequently as Director, Dr Reddy’s Institute of Life sciences (2000-2013). Javed has contributed significantly to the area of catalysis in organic synthesis, Drug discovery, process chemistry and synthesis of natural products. He has contributed significantly on new drug discovery in diabetes, cancer and infectious diseases. He has guided 30 PhD students and has published more than 200 research papers and has filed 90 patents in diabetes, infectious diseases, cancer, process chemistry for API’s and pharmaceutical co-crystals. Javed is the promoter of two startup companies called Cosmic Discoveries and Zephase Therapeutics. Cosmic Discoveries has developed process chemistry for 30-40 APIs and intermediates for Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd and several other Indian Pharmaceutical companies. He has also served as Director of National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Trivandrum during 2002. He was visiting fellow at University of Notre Dame, USA, University of Montpellier, France and University of Okayama, Japan. Javed has also taught undergraduate Chemistry Courses at New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, USA in the summer semesters during 1997-99. He was William Evans Fellow in the Department of Chemistry, University of Otago, New Zealand during March-April 2016. He was a visiting Professor at Department of Chemistry, University of Regensburg Germany in May 2019. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at School of Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Australia. Javed is the fellow of both science academies of India and was member of IUPAC committee on Chemicals and Drugs and now a fellow of IUPAC.
Expert Reviewers
Vineeta Bal
Professor Emeritus
Javed Iqbal
Founder and Chairman
Incor Life Sciences
Satyajit Rath
Professor Emeritus
Suhaib Siddiqi
Scientist
A.K. Singh
Former Director and Vice Chancellor, IARI, Pusa, New Delhi
Ramesh Sistla
Founder & MD, Think Molecular
NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
EKALAVYA-IGNITE TRAVEL GRANT
The application window for funding for travel to international meetings in April to Jun 2025 is now open. Applications will be solicited between January 1 to January 20, 2025.
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Neurodegenerative Diseases Open Call
For Neurodegenerative Diseases: Submissions due 23rd January 2025.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR RECENT AWARDEES IN RNA TECHNOLOGY
- Srinivasa Reddy Bonam of CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Secunderabad
- Garima Khare of University of Delhi, South Campus
The results are out for our 'EKLAVYA-IGNITE TRAVEL AWARDS for travel between January to March 2025.
Congratulations to:
- Neilah Firzan C A - BRIC-RAJIV GANDHI CENTRE FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY, Kerala
- Shivam Sahu - Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Lucknow
- Prerna Narwal - Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru
ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS OF THE GRADUATE STUDENT COMPETITION!!!
The winners of the graduate student competition to attend the upcoming RNA Technology SpARC meeting titled ' RNA TECHNOLOGY: Breakthroughs and Beyond' in October 2024 are::
- Porkizhi Arjunan, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Stem Cell Research (CSCR) - CMC, Vellore
- Praveen. P, PhD Student, Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, Bengaluru
They are awarded paid travel support to attend the meeting.
EKALAVYA-IGNITE TRAVEL GRANT
The application window for funding for travel to international meetings in Jan to March 2025 is now open. Applications will be solicited between October 1 to October 20, 2024.
Read More
Congratulations to OUR MOST RECENT AWARDEES in Computational Systems Biology.
- Supreet Saini of Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay with his co-investigator Venkatesh K V, PhD
- Riddhiman Dhar of Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur with his co-investigators Mohit Kumar Jolly and @Mahitosh Mandal of Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
RNA SpARC WEBINAR SERIES
Dawning era of genomic medicines: Strategies for non-viral vectors targeting organs beyond the liver 28 Sep 2024|8:30 PM-9:30 PM IST Register Here
RNA SpARC WEBINAR SERIES
mRNA IN LIPID NANOPARTICLES:
Translational Science ne banaadi jodi
24 Aug 2024|4:00 PM-5:00 PM IST
Register Here
Congratulations to our Research Grantee in the area of AgriScience – (Round 2)
- Dr. Bodhisatta Nandy & Dr. Vinay Bulusu - IISER, Berhampur
- Dr. Pulluru Sanjana Reddy & Dr. Avinash Singode - Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad
- Dr. Eswarayya Ramireddy at IISER, Tirupati
The results are out for the Eklavya-Ignite Travel Grant for travel between October to December 2024.
Congratulations to:
- Sourabh Biswas - IISER Kolkata
- Arkaprava Mandal - IISER Kolkata
- Nishi Kumari - IISc Bengaluru
Ignite Life Science Foundation with support from IndianOil Corporation and Teekays Foundation, funds the acquisition of sophisticated scientific instrumentation to enable high throughput research at IISER Pune
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THE EKALAVYA-IGNITE TRAVEL GRANT APPLICATION
The application window for funding for travel to international meetings in OCT to DEC 2024 is now OPEN. Applications for this travel window will be solicited between JULY 1 and JULY 20, 2024.
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The Indian Institute of Science and Ignite Life Science Foundation announce strategic collaboration with Indegene to advance scientific discoveries in India
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Explore our latest annual report, highlighting our significant achievements and key initiatives over the past year.
Annual Report 2024
The results are out for our grant for Eklavya-Ignite travel grant between July 2024 & September 2024.
Congratulations to:
- Rabi Sankar Pal: Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Berhampur, Odisha
- Mayuresh Gangal: Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore
- Arjun Pal: The University of Burdwan
- Jayashree Mazumdar: IISC Bengaluru
Covishield’s ‘rare’ side-effects: In election season, dangers of politicising the vaccine
The bottom line is that these ‘new’ disclosures by AstraZeneca are neither new nor worth worrying over. We should stay focused on improving public health everywhere and for everyone. Vaccines will remain central to those efforts
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Ignite Fast Grant Awards in Agriculture Science
Second Open Call (2024) for proposals
Submissions due by 31st May 2024
THE EKALAVYA-IGNITE TRAVEL GRANT APPLICATION
The application window for funding for travel to international meetings in JULY to SEP 2024 is now OPEN. Applications for this travel window will be solicited between APRIL 1 and APRIL 20, 2024.
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The results are out for our grant for travel between April 2024 & June 2024.
Congratulations to:
- Bhavna Pydah, National Centre for Cell Science, Pune
- Soumyajit Dutta, IISER Pune
- Sandhya Singh, CSIR - Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow
- Divya Pidishetty, L. V Prasad Eye Institute
Congratulations to our Research Grantees in the area of Antimicrobial Resistance - ACORN AMR - (Round 2).
- Dr. Raju Mukherjee: IISER Tirupati
- Dr. Mahavir Singh: IISc Bengaluru
- Dr. Mukesh Pasupuleti: CSIR CDRI Lucknow
Announcing Ignite Acorn - AMR fast grants 2023 (Round 2)
"mighty oaks from little acorns grow"
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The next set of Eklavya - Ignite travel grantees are:
- Maryam Khursheed, IIT Delhi
- Sreya Das, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Kolkata
- Dincy Mariyam, Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bengaluru
- Safirul Islam, Presidency University, Kolkata
- Rahul, P. V., IISER, Bhopal
Dr. K Anji Reddy CANDO-ETR Grants Open Call
India has tremendous potential for innovation in healthcare products. This is yet to be fully realized because of the lack of strong coupling mechanisms that match pull...
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The next set of Ekalavya - Ignite travel awardees are:
- Shivangi Verma, NCBS
- Shivani Yadav, IISER Pune
- Roshmi Biswas, Univ of Burdwan
- Nilam Malankar, IISER Pune
Acorn-AMR Grantees announced
Two groups have been awarded the ACORN-AMR grant. The grantees in the first group are Prof. Amit Singh at the Indian Institute of Science and Prof. Harinath Chakrapani at IISER, Pune.
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Ignite Life Science Foundation receives support from Nadir Godrej and Mahyco to fund sustainable agriculture research.
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Dr Soumya Swaminathan joins Ignite Life Science Foundation as Scientific Advisor
A globally recognized physician-scientist in the area of tuberculosis and HIV
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Dr. Ajay Kohli, Research Director at International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Manila, Philippines joins the Scientific Advisory Board of Ignite Life Science Foundation
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Eklavya education foundation and Ignite life science foundation announce international travel grants for young Indian scientists
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Announcing the 3 winners of our AgriScience Fast Grants: Anindita Seal, Kutubuddin Molla , Pallavolu Reddy,
First micro-grant announced under the Academic Research Cooperative mechanism
The Academic Research Cooperative is a group of scientists working in a common theme area, e.g. redox biology.
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In conversation with Ignite event: winners of prizes for the best questions.
The event got good traction with 481 registrants from diverse backgrounds and geographies.
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Dr. T. S. Balganesh joins Ignite as Scientific Advisor
We are pleased to announce that Dr T S Balganesh is joining Ignite as Scientific Advisor. Dr Balganesh is an experienced drug discovery ...
Read MoreAcorn-AMR Grantees announced
“Two groups have been awarded the ACORN-AMR grant. The grantees in the first group are Prof. Amit Singh at the Indian Institute of Science and Prof. Harinath Chakrapani at IISER, Pune. The grantees in the second group are Prof. Vivevekanandan Perumal, Prof. Dalip Singh Mehta, and Dr. Arijit Pal, from at IIT Delhi and Prof. Anuradha Chowdhary at V P Chest Institute, Delhi. We wish them the very best in the execution of these projects that have the potential to impact the problem of AMR.”.
Dr Soumya Swaminathan joins Ignite Life Science Foundation as Scientific Advisor
A globally recognized physician-scientist in the area of tuberculosis and HIV, Dr
Swaminathan brings with her 30 years of experience in research, clinical care, policy and
translation of research into impactful programmes. She was most recently Chief Scientist and before
that, Deputy Director-General for Programmes at the World Health Organization. Prior to that, Dr
Swaminathan was Secretary to the Government of India for Health Research and Director General of the
Indian Council of Medical Research (2015 to 2017). In these positions, she brought science and
evidence into health policy-making, building research capacity, and forging international
partnerships in health sciences.
Welcoming her to Ignite, Dr Shahid Jameel, Scientific Advisor and Founding Member, said: "Soumya is
a globally recognised research leader, who will add value to Ignite's scientific advisory board. We
will count on her technical expertise and understanding of the health policy and funding networks to
promote Ignite's mission of improving the impact of Indian life sciences research. I am pleased to
have the opportunity to work with her again.
Dr Soumya Swaminathan said - "I am delighted to join the eminent group of advisors at Ignite and
look forward to working with them to drive what I believe is a critical agenda for India - to
support the Indian life sciences community to achieve excellence."
Announcing Ignite Acorn-AMR fast grants 2023
“mighty oaks from little acorns grow”
Planting the seeds of breakthrough solutions for antimicrobial resistance (AMR). LAST DATE FOR
SUBMISSION: 15 February 2023
First micro-grant announced under the Academic Research Cooperative mechanism
The Academic Research Cooperative is a group of scientists working in a common
theme area, e.g. redox biology. By bringing together scientists in disparate areas linked by a
shared theme we hope to encourage ideation at the boundaries leading to new questions and
experiments. We are pleased to announce our first micro-grant under this scheme to
Amit
Singh
(IISc) and
Harinath Chakrapani
(IISER, Pune). We wish them the very best.
Ignite announces Call for Proposals in the area of Agriculture Science. Last date for submission is August 20.
In conversation with Ignite event: winners of prizes for the best questions.
The event got good traction with 481 registrants from diverse backgrounds and
geographies. The recording of the event can be accessed here:
https://youtu.be/WvEaIMjp0Bs
We had announced prizes for the two best questions. We were swamped with many high quality
submissions and it is impossible to do justice to them. We have chosen
Dr Rajashri
Kadam
of NCBS and
Ms Aditi Yadav
of St Xaviers Mumbai as the first and
second prize winners. Congratulations to them and thank you to everyone who participated and
contributed.
Our next event is in April. We hope to see you there.
Dr. T. S. Balganesh joins Ignite as Scientific Advisor
We are pleased to announce that Dr T S Balganesh is joining Ignite as Scientific Advisor. Dr Balganesh is an experienced drug discovery scientist and has led pharmaceutical R&D and public sector initiatives in Open Source Drug Discovery. We are very happy that he agreed to join us to help us in our mission to promote life science research in India. He is a valuable addition to an already stellar team of advisors. We welcome him on board.
Kotak Mahindra Capital Joins Ignite Life Science Foundation In AMR Research
Under its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, Kotak Mahindra Capital Company today announced its association with Ignite Life Science Foundation (ILSF) for supporting research in the area of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). The Bengaluru-based not-for-profit foundation, ILSF aims to leverage scientific discoveries for social good, as conveyed in the statement.
WELCOME TO THE 3rd IN THE SERIES OF RNA SpARC WEBINARS
In advance of the RNA Technology SpARC (Special Academic Research Cooperative) Meeting, Ignite Life Science Foundation in collaboration with the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS, Bengaluru) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) (Bengaluru) is hosting a series of webinars/Q&A sessions with experts in specific domains of RNA Biology.
Our Speaker:
Gaurav Sahay
Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Oregon State University
Director, Center for Innovative Drug Delivery and Imaging
We are excited to invite you to join this webinar. This event will dive deep into the benefits, current challenges, and future directions in both mRNA technology and lipid nanotechnology, with their roles in advancing therapeutic applications.
HOW TO REGISTER:
Please click on the link to secure your spot.
https://lnkd.in/dABfmPM6
Registration is free but is required to attend the meeting. Don't miss out on this opportunity to gain valuable insights and engage with experts in RNA Technology!
We look forward to your participation and the engaging discussions that will follow!
Welcome to the 1st series of RNA SpARC Webinar
In advance of the RNA Technology SpARC (Special Academic Research Cooperative) Meeting, Ignite Life Science Foundation in collaboration with the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS, Bengaluru) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) (Bengaluru) is hosting a series of webinars/Q&A sessions with experts in specific domains of RNA Biology.
We are excited to invite you to join this webinar. This event will dive deep into the benefits, current challenges, and future directions in both mRNA technology and lipid nanotechnology, with their roles in advancing therapeutic applications.
HOW TO REGISTER:
Please click on the link to secure your spot.
https://forms.gle/39T34m3iiAZB4hJr9
Anyone can apply but, if all else is equal, preference will be given to those who (1) are from smaller institutes/universities. (2) are giving platform presentations (3) who are willing to accept part funding or funding less than INR 1 L (4) who are receiving a waiver/subsidy from the organizers for the registration fee amount.
This is a travel grant provided to doctoral students and postdoctoral trainees in the life science in non-profit Indian academic and research institutions. This grant is available throughout the year until the funds available are exhausted. The grant money will be disbursed against actual expenses incurred. Notification of acceptance of presentation from the meeting organizers must be submitted. Preference will be given to attendance in small and selective meetings (e.g. Gordon Conference/Keystone/EMBO etc.). AWARDEES will be contacted individually and award announcements will also be made on twitter (@ignitelsf) and on our website: ignitelsf.in
Kindly access the Google form here...
https://lnkd.in/dcKJkQ83
Anyone can apply but, if all else is equal, preference will be given to those who (1) are from smaller institutes/universities. (2) are giving platform presentations (3) who are willing to accept part funding or funding less than INR 1 L (4) who are receiving a waiver/subsidy from the organizers for the registration fee amount.
This is a travel grant provided to doctoral students and postdoctoral trainees in the life science in non-profit Indian academic and research institutions. This grant is available throughout the year until the funds available are exhausted. The grant money will be disbursed against actual expenses incurred. Notification of acceptance of presentation from the meeting organizers must be submitted. Preference will be given to attendance in small and selective meetings (e.g. Gordon Conference/Keystone/EMBO etc.). AWARDEES will be contacted individually and award announcements will also be made on twitter (@ignitelsf) and on our website: ignitelsf.in
Kindly access the Google form here...
https://lnkd.in/dcKJkQ83
FOR SCIENTISTS
We work closely with the science community to identify investigators and projects of interest. Through a competitive mechanism that involves external reviewers, we offer selected investigators a reliable source of funding. We prefer projects that involve multiple scientists and institutions working collaboratively in a multidisciplinary fashion. We work closely with investigators through our project advisory board to offer mentoring and support through the life cycle of the project. We support translational work that de-risks an idea and prepares it for investors to take part in its further development.
Even if we do not have an Open Call that matches your interests do check out our Current Areas of Interest and if your proposal fits in a listed Area of Interest, please feel free to write to us to explore the possibility of applying for a Fast Grant.
APPLY FOR GRANTS
Open Calls for new grant applications will be covered here.
We are broadly interested in Life Sciences.
GRANTS
Neurodegenerative Diseases Open Call
For Neurodegenerative Diseases:
Submissions due by 23rd January 2025
Equipment Grant Call
For Equipment Grant Call:
Submissions due by 15th January 2025
SpARCs
(Special Academic Research Cooperatives)
GENERAL AWARD CONDITIONS
DETAILS OF AWARDS
RNA Technology
Computational Systems Biology
mRNA Vaccine Technology Development
Nitrogen Fixation
Antimicrobial Resistance
Neurodegeneration
Student Travel Grants
SOME OF OUR DONORS
Dr. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw:
Executive Director, Biocon
Nadir Godrej:
Chairman & MD, Godrej Industries
The Barwale Family:
Mahyco
G. V Prasad & Satish Reddy:
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories
Smita Crishna-Godrej:
The Pirojsha Godrej Foundation
Sunil Handa:
Eklavya Education Trust
Acuite Ratings Research
Kotak Mahindra Capital Company Ltd.
Shrikumar Suryanarayanan:
Chairman & MD
Crown Worldwide Group
SUPPORT OUR WORK
How you can help fund our work
Ignite Life Science Foundation uses funding provided by our Donors to fund scientific research at the discovery stage. It is a historical fact that innovation in scientific research drives economic prosperity. We cannot become an economic power without a strong innovation economy built on excellence in science.
