New Delhi, July 27th, 2026: "Without failures, you will not have invention. If youdon't have inventions, you will not have innovation," said Padma Vibhushan Prof. Man Mohan Sharma, Fellow of the Royal Society (UK) and Former Director of the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Mumbai, while accepting the prestigious Vigyan Maharshi Award2026 at MIT World Peace University (MIT-WPU), Pune. The honor was conferred during the National Scientists Round Table Conference (NSRTC 2026), which recently concluded its three-day apex forum. The conference brought together eminent scientists, researchers, industry leaders, academicians, and students to deliberate on cutting-edge scientific advancements and chart out a strategic roadmap aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047.
The university conferred its top lifetime achievement honor, the Vigyan Maharshi Award 2026, carrying a ₹5 lakh cash prize and a citation, upon Padma Vibhushan Prof. Man Mohan Sharma in recognition of his extraordinary lifetime contributions to science, engineering, industrial innovation, higher education, and nation-building. The conference also featured the first DeepTech Young Entrepreneur Awards, carrying a ₹1 lakh cash prize and a citation each, presented to Dr. Narayana Rao Sripada, Co-Founder of Swaasa, for his AI-driven respiratory healthcare smartphone screening solution, and Capt. Nikunj Parashar, Founder of Sagar Defence Engineering Pvt. Ltd., for his indigenous marine autonomy and defense robotics solutions.
Accepting the lifetime honor, Prof. Man Mohan Sharma expressed his gratitude and reiterated the responsibility of the scientific community to mentor future generations andpursue research that creates societal impact. He noted that India faces a challenge in lacking a culture that owns failures, adding that research is an inspirational, curiosity-driven pursuit rather than a preordained path. He compared scientific inquiry towalking down a blind alley to discover whether it is truly blind, praising researchers and innovators as a distinct class of passionate individuals committed to achieving impactful results for the country.
Delivering the keynote address at the inauguration, Chief Guest Padma Vibhushan Dr. R. A. Mashelkar urged the scientific community to focus on science-backed entrepreneurship. He stated that as India marches towards Viksit Bharat @ 2047, the fundamental challenge is not merely whether the nation can develop, but whether it can create, own, and convert knowledge into wealth that directly improves societal well-being. He emphasizedthat India cannot achieve its goals purely through standard startups, but must instead foster science-powered startups that create original, transformative technologies rather than simply consuming foreign advancements.
Speaking at the valedictory ceremony as Chief Guest, renowned scientist Padma Shri Prof. Dr. Ganapati D. Yadav, Former Vice-Chancellor of ICT Mumbai, called for structural reforms across India's higher education system. He highlighted that achieving a $30 trillion economy by 2047 requires a shift away from rote learning toward cultivating free thinkers among the youth. He advocated for replacing rigid semester patterns with industry-integrated trimester systems and directing a larger portion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding toward university research, reminding the audience that the ultimate purpose of science extends beyond economic gain to serving humanity and securing global well-being.
