PM Modi inaugurates Centre for Brain Research in IISc Bangalore

BENGALURU: Prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the Centre for Brain Research (CBR) set up at a cost of Rs 280 crore at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) campus, the foundation stone of which was laid by himself. During the Programme, the PM also laid the foundation stone for the 832-bedded Bagchi Parthasarathy Multispeciality Hospital.

The CBR is developed as a one of its kind research facility and focuses on conducting vital research to provide evidence-based public health interventions to manage age-related brain disorders, officials said. Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, co-founder of IT major Infosys S Gopalakrishnan and family were among those present at the event. The Centre for Brain Research was established as an autonomous, non-profit research organization in the IISc, with the generous gift from Gopalakrishnan and his wife Sudha Gopalakrishnan, officials said. CBR is funded by philanthropy and receives research grants for specific projects from several granting agencies, they said.

Gopalakrishnan has also provided funds for the construction of the state-of-art building for use by CBR within the IISc campus, and his philanthropic gift is the largest support provided by an individual for scientific research in the history of India. The Bagchi Parthasarathy Multispeciality Hospital for which the foundation was laid today will be developed on the campus of IISc Bengaluru and will help integrate science, engineering and medicine at the prestigious institute. It will provide a major fillip to clinical research in the country and will work towards finding innovative solutions that will help in the improvement of healthcare services in the country, officials said.

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IISc entered into a partnership with philanthropists Susmita and Subroto Bagchi, and Radha and N S Parthasarathy, in February to establish the Bagchi-Parthasarathy Hospital. "The couples will collectively donate Rs 425 crore (equivalent to about USD 60 million) to help construct this 800-bed, not-for-profit, multi-speciality hospital. After its founding, this is the largest single private donation received by IISc", IISC Director Prof. Govindan Rangarajan said.

Subroto Bagchi and NS Parthasarathy were co-founders of Mindtree, a Bengaluru-headquartered information technology services and consulting company. "It is not about charity as much (as) it is about being charitable. The essence of being charitable is to build empathy for others. To feel for others. To be sensitive. These are values that were inculcated by parents on both sides of the family very early", Susmita had told PTI.

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"We followed their footsteps in small ways all along. When we lived in the US in (the) the 1990s, we were very touched by the way everyone in the community engages with issues. The way they volunteer and help. This helped us to get engaged with institutions upon our return to India", she added. On what prompted the couple to do the big-ticket donation to IISc, Radha had said they had worked the hard way and now with the resources in their hands, they believed that these resources have reached them by destiny. "We believe that these resources have been placed in our hands by destiny and it has to be used for “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” – the common good of people. The pandemic pushed a sense of urgency. Our intention was to use these for education and/or healthcare", she told PTI. The hospital is slated to be operational by the end of 2024.