Will strengthen scientific bond between India, UK: Nobel laureate

Nobel laureate Venkataraman Ramakrishnan on Thursday said he would strive to foster exchange of knowledge between India and United Kingdom.

Participating in an interaction, organised by Mysore District Journalists Association (MDJA), Ramakrishnan, who shared nobel prize with Thomas A Steitz and Ada Yonath in chemistry for his ‘Studies on the Structure and Function of the Ribosome’ in 2009, asserted that, as a newly elected president of Royal Society, he would continue with India-centric programmes.

Many scientists from India have been visiting United Kingdom for research purpose and measures will be taken to strengthen those areas, where it is complimentary, said Ramakrishnan to a specific query on plans for India in particular.

To a question on funding for science in India and west, especially UK, Ramakrishnan said, “India still lags behind in tapping corporate funds and charity support in research in the area of basic science. While the funding in UK is average, the funds there is drawn from government, charities and private industries. However, the spending on science in India is still low when compared to a small country like South Korea that spends one per cent of the total budget, said Ramakrishnan.

Moreover, what’s bothering India in overcoming the hurdles in the area of science is, civic problem- from water to health among other basic needs, that still needs to be addressed at a larger level. If one has to make economical strides, scientific advancements is a must, Ramakrishnan said.

To another query on most of the scientific advancements not reaching common man, Ramakrishnan said it is the same across the board including western countries. It is difficult to take the findings from laboratories to common man for the reason that inventions take decades.

On ribosome

When asked about his new research, Ramakrishnan said, “I have continued to work on ribosome, how they work on humans and how to regulate them.”