The Dr Kasturirangan Trust was launched at an inaugural event in Bengaluru on October 25 to carry forward the legacy of DrKrishnaswamy Kasturirangan, whose contributions over six decades helped shape India’s progress in space, science and technology, and education.
The Trust aims to support research, encourage new ideas and find practical solutions to the problems society facesIts work will focus on four areas: space and technology, education, sustainability, and public policy.
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L-R: Anurag Behar, DrSanjay Rangan, Dr Mukund Kasursrinivas Rao, Trustees of the Dr Kasturirangan Trust
The Trust will support researchers through fellowships, scholarships and grantsIt will also organise conferences, support book-writing and scientific curation, and work with institutions in India and abroad to promote research and improve public policy.
In the long term, the Trust aims to build an institution dedicated to future-oriented thought, research and problem-solving for India.
DrSanjay Rangan, Trustee of the Dr Kasturirangan Trust, said, “DrKasturirangan believed in the power of knowledge and research to address the challenges facing our countryThrough this Trust, we hope to carry forward his vision by bringing people and institutions together to find solutions that benefit society and support future leaders.”
The Trust is guided by DrKasturirangan’s values of responsible research, compassion, excellence and respect for natureIt is a non-profit, non-political public charitable trust, governed by a Board of Trustees, an Advisory Board and an Executive Council.
First initiative: Dr Kasturirangan 2027 Fellowship
The Trust’s first initiative, the Dr Kasturirangan 2027 Fellowship, will support six PhD and post-doctoral researchers whose work spans more than one of the Trust’s four focus areas and has real-world applicationEach fellow will receive a one-time award of Rs4 lakh towards research costs, along with mentorship, two workshops a year to present their work, and a place in a growing peer community.
The fellowship is open to candidates who submitted their PhD thesis between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2026In its first year, candidates must be nominated, either by a group of eminent individuals who knew DrKasturirangan or by leading universities; an open call for applications is planned for later yearsNominations open on October 27, 2026 and close on December 31, 2026, and the first cohort of fellows will be announced on April 25, 2027.
About DrKKasturirangan
DrKKasturirangan (1940–2025) was a space scientist who led India’s space programme as Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from 1994 to 2003, and went on to shape national science and education policy as a Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), a Member of the Planning Commission and Chairman of the committee that drafted the National Education Policy 2020He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2000.
For more information
Dr Kasturirangan Trust
Email id – [email protected]
Website – drkasturirangantrust.org
