JOIN USA Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Thursday between the Department of Information Technology (IT) Biotechnology (BT) and Science and Technology (S&T) and the Dublin-headquartered Science Gallery International (SGI) for establishing a Science Gallery in Bengaluru.
Science Gallery Bengaluru (SCB) has been fashioned around a model at the Trinity College, Dublin that aims to engage 15-25 year-olds at the dynamic interface between art and science. It has so far attracted as many as 18 lakh people. Once completed the SCB is expected to attract as many as 4 lakh visitors every year.
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has been selected as the site for establishing the SCB and the plan for it will be completed by 2018. This will be the first such initiative in Asia and only the third in the world, the others being in Dublin, set up in 2008, and another that will be opened in London by 2016.
Chris Horn, chairman, SGI, said once the science gallery is set up, five exhibitions based on five different themes would be organised every year. As part of this, a number of foreign universities as well as universities at home would showcase and demonstrate their projects and scientists and innovators would be brought in to talk on their expertise.
The tie-up is also expected to further strengthen ties between Ireland and India in academia, research and industry. Collaborative projects in public engagement and exhibition sharing between Trinity College Dublin, King’s College London and other leading Indian research institutions is also envisaged as part of the project.
Speaking at the event, S R Patil, Minister for IT and BT and Science and Technology, said the government would establish the gallery at IISc at an estimated cost of Rs 25 crore. While IISc would be the lead academic partner of the SGB, the other collaborating partners are the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) and Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology.
Anurag Kumar, Director, IISc highlighted how science in schools was not being taught practically via experiments and that there was a need to do more.
He lauded such efforts like the setting up of the SGB. Irish Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation, Damien English TD and Srivatsa Krishna, Secretary, Department of IT, BT were present.