The University of Glasgow has honoured John Shaw, former Vice-Chairman, Biocon, and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Executive Chairperson, Biocon and Biocon Biologics, by naming the University’s new research centre after them, Biocon notified in a statement.
The Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre (ARC) will be home to more than 500 researchers from a range of disciplines, facilitating world-changing collaborative research. The £116 million building will officially open in June 2022, the statement added.
It also informed that John Shaw, who is a Glasgow University graduate, along with his wife Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, had gifted $7.5 million to the University in July 2019. Their donation has been used to set up a new research hub within the University campus and to create a Professorial Chair, the Mazumdar-Shaw Chair of Molecular Pathology.
Mazumdar-Shaw said in the statement, ”John and I are honoured to have this research facility bear our name. The decision to gift to Glasgow was easy, we both feel very strongly that there is a responsibility to share the wealth to make a difference. The ARC is about catalysing change in research and that resonates with us. Philanthropy can be a catalyst for change, growth, improvement and development. We are both grateful that we are in the fortunate position to contribute to John’s alma mater and help the University achieve its aspirational goals.”
Adding to it, Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Glasgow University, said, “……… The global challenges that we face require team approaches and collaboration across disciplines, and this unique environment will encourage and support interdisciplinary research breakthroughs. The relationship we have with John and Kiran is a fantastic example of how a university can work with its communities to make a real difference in the world. Through our partnership, we are building on the University’s work with Biocon to explore initiatives such as joint PhDs which provide industry experience and help solve real-world problems.”
John Shaw is an alumnus of the University of Glasgow, where he completed his MA (Hons) in History and Political Economy in 1970. He was educated at Glasgow High School. As Vice-Chairman and a key member of the management team, he contributed to the transformation of Biocon from a small enzymes company to a globally-recognised biopharma company, the statement said.