Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025 in Science, Technology, and Innovation announced

Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025, India’s highest recognition for outstanding and inspiring contributions by scientists, technologists, and innovators in diverse fields of science, technology, and technology-led innovation, was announced on October 26 in Delhi. The Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar Award ceremony shall be held in due course and will be notified separately to the awardees.

The names of the awardees are as follows:

1. Vigyan Ratna: Prof. Jayant Vishnu Narlikar (Physics) Posthumously
2. Vigyan Shri:  Dr. Gyanendra Pratap Singh (Agricultural Science); Dr. Yusuf Mohammad Seikh (Atomic Energy); Dr. K Thangaraj (Biological Sciences); Prof. Pradeep Thalappil (Chemistry); Prof. Aniruddha Bhalchandra Pandit (Engineering Sciences); Dr. S Venkata Mohan (Environmental Science); Prof. Mahan Mj (Mathematics and Computer Science); Shri Jayan N (Space Science and Technology)
3. Vigyan Yuva: Dr. Jagdis Gupta Kapuganti (Agricultural Science); Dr. Satendra Kumar Mangrauthia (Agricultural Science); Shri Debarka Sengupta (Biological Sciences); Dr. Deepa Agashe (Biological Sciences); Dr. Dibyendu Das (Chemistry); Dr. Waliur Rahaman (Earth Science); Prof. Arkaprava Basu ((Engineering Sciences); Prof. Sabyasachi Mukherjee (Mathematics and Computer Science); Prof. Shweta Prem Agrawal (Mathematics and Computer Science); Dr. Suresh Kumar (Medicine); Prof. Amit Kumar Agarwal (Physics); Prof. Surhud Shrikant More (Physics); Shri Ankur Garg (Space Science and Technology); Prof. Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam (Technology & Innovation)
4. Vigyan Team: Team- Aroma Mission CSIR (Agricultural Science)

Nominations for Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025 were invited via the dedicated portal (https://awards.gov.in/) between October 4 and November 17, 2024, and underwent rigorous scrutiny by a panel of eminent scientific leaders, including the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, Chairperson of the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar Committee, Secretaries of Science Departments, heads of academies, and domain experts coordinated by the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar Secretariat.

Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar instituted by The Government of India recognizes and promotes pathbreaking research and inspiring achievement by honouring visionaries in science and technology. The aim is to motivate the next generation, strengthen the research ecosystem, and accelerate India’s journey as a global leader in S&T innovation. The Award is conferred under four categories:

1. Vigyan Ratna (VR) award to recognize lifetime achievements & contributions made in any field of science and technology.
2. Vigyan Shri (VS) award to recognize distinguished contributions in any field of science and technology.
3. Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (VY-SSB) award to recognize & encourage young scientists up to the age of 45 years who have made an exceptional contribution in any field of science and technology.
4. Vigyan Team (VT) award to be given to a team comprising three or more scientists/researchers/innovators who have made an exceptional contribution working in a team in any field of science and technology.

Awards are conferred across 13 domains: Physics, Chemistry, Biological Sciences, Mathematics & Computer Science, Earth Science, Medicine, Engineering Sciences, Agricultural Science, Environmental Science, Technology & Innovation, Atomic Energy, Space Science and Technology, and other allied fields. The Puraskar affirms India’s commitment to fostering scientific excellence and technological leadership for national development.

Prof. Debarka Sengupta from the Department of Computational Biology at the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi (IIIT-Delhi) an awardee of ‘Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar: Vigyan Yuva- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar’ for the year 2025 in Biological Sciences said, “ This award is a recognition of how data, biology, and artificial intelligence—when combined thoughtfully—can transform the way we understand and treat complex diseases like cancer. It reinforces my belief that India stands at the forefront of a new era of innovation, where the convergence of AI and life sciences will define the future of healthcare and strengthen our growing biotech industry.” By integrating genomics with artificial intelligence models, his work has enabled accurate prediction of cancer drug responses and the identification of circulating triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells in patient blood samples. These scientific contributions have also catalyzed the creation of biotechnology startups, strengthening India’s innovation ecosystem.