New Delhi: Three Bengaluru-based businesspersons and philanthropists – Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Kris Gopalakrishnan and Rohini Nilekani – have together contributed Rs 51 crore to the Science Gallery Bengaluru (SGB), Times of India reported. The SGB is a not-for-profit public institution for research-based public engagement.

Mazumdar-Shaw, Gopalakrishnan and Nilekani are all members of the SGB board.

According to the SGB website, the institution was set up with the aim to "bring science back into culture" using funds given by the Karnataka state government and three academic institutions – the Indian Institute of Science, the National Centre for Biological Sciences and the Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology.

The gallery has organised and participated in a number of exhibitions and mentorship programmes. It is also a member of the Global Science Gallery Network, founded in Dublin’s Trinity College in 2008.

Most of the SGB's activities are geared towards engaging young adults.

Science historian Jahnavi Phalkey, who set up the SGB in 2018, had earlier told The Print in an interview that she was keen to break the silos into which Indian school education separated the humanities, social sciences and sciences:

“In India, the problem is that higher education is in silos where experts from different fields work separately. Therefore, for the context of India, the first thing I decided was that my work would not just be around natural sciences, but also human and social sciences.”

The aim of the institution, according to her, is also to foster scientific culture. “The minute you say science belongs in everyday life and you want people to relate to it daily, you realise the outcome really is culture,” she said.

The SGB, in a press release, said the latest investment matches the initial funding granted by the state, making the institution a public-private partnership.

"SGB’s vision resonates well with my purpose of leveraging cutting-edge science to deliver innovation," Mazumdar-Shaw said about her investment, according to the press release. "I believe it will be a vibrant and energising space for young adults which is critical for developing a scientific temper." Mazumdar-Shaw, the chairperson of Biocon and Biocon Biologics, is also the founder of Mazumdar Shaw Philanthropy.

Nilekani said that she hoped "young people of the city and the country will come here to set their imaginations free". The founder of Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies and co-founder and director of EkStep Foundation also said, according to the press release, "The gallery will help more people connect with Bengaluru's proud legacy of scientific achievement. I'm proud to support this first-of-its-kind institution that creates a bridge between science and samaj."

Phalkey expressed her gratitude to the three philanthropists for their investment. “I am thankful to Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Rohini Nilekani and Kris Gopalakrishnan for their generous donation, their trust, but also their time over the last five years to establish Science Gallery Bengaluru. We are creating a new kind of public space for knowledge with our pioneering Public Lab Complex. Even as we look forward to opening our doors to the public next year, I want to invite patrons, donors, and partnerships to further support us to build – in India – a world class model for research-based engagement,” she said.

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