N.R. Narayana Murthy, co-founder of IT giant Infosys who has used his business success to "give back" to his native India, has been named recipient of the prestigious 2012 Hoover Medal.

Murthy received the honour Monday at the Global Humanitarian Technology Conference in Seattle, Washington.

The Hoover Medal was established in 1930 to recognize great, unselfish, non-technical services by engineers to humanity. Previous awardees include former US presidents Herbert Hoover, Dwight D. Eisenhower and James Earl Carter.

Murthy, who is the 70th recipient since the medal's inception, was recognized for establishing a foundation that forges outstanding improvements in healthcare, social rehabilitation, rural uplift and education.

Tthe Infosys Science Foundation was established in 2009 to promote science research in India.

The conference brought together communities and individuals interested in applying technology to develop effective solutions for the challenges facing the world's underserved.

Representing Hoover Medal Board was its Vice Chairman P. Somasundaran of Columbia University and IEEE President Dr. Gordon W. Day.

The Hoover Medal is administered by a board representing five engineering organizations: The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

One of the world's most admired business leaders, Murthy co-founded Infosys Limited in 1981. The Global Delivery Model pioneered and designed by Murthy has become the cornerstone of India's success in information technology outsourcing.