Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the Centre for Brain Research (CBR) set up at a cost of Rs 280 crores at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) campus. During the programme, the PM also laid the foundation stone for 832-bedded Bagchi Parthasarathy Multispeciality Hospital. The CBR is developed as one-of-its-kind research facility and focusses 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 Infosys S Gopalakrishnan and family were among those present at the event.
The CBR was established as an autonomous, non-profit research organisation 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-the-art building for use by CBR within 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 foundation was laid today will be developed in the campus of IISc Bengaluru and will help integrate science, engineering and medicine at the prestigious institute.
It will provide major fillip to clinical research in the country and will work towards finding innovative solutions that will help in improvement of healthcare services in the country, officials said. 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 crores (equivalent to about $60 million) to help construct this 800-bed, not-for-profit, multi-specialty hospital. After its founding, this is the largest single private donation received by IISc,” Govindan Rangarajan, Director Professor, IISC, had said.
The hospital is slated to be operational by the end of 2024.
Edits by EP News Bureau