Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, husband make donation worth $7.5 mn to University of Glasgow
The Biocon founder and her husband, John Shaw, contributed for the expansion projects at the Scottish university.
By PTI | Updated:
Agencies
John Shaw's career with Scotland-based textile firm Coats included management and financial positions across the world, which led to him meeting his wife Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (L) in Bangalore.
John, a former alumnus of the university, said USD 5 million would for to the Research Hub, currently under construction on the Western Infirmary site as part of the university's 1-billion pounds campus development. The new hub will see space on a floor dedicated to public engagement named as Shaw Plaza.
A further donation of USD 2.5 million will go towards creating a new Professorial Chair to be named the Mazumdar-Shaw Chair of Precision Oncology.
"As a proud alumnus of the University of Glasgow, I have the good fortune of making a gift at a time when the university is embarking on a major expansion. Both Kiran and I have the proud privilege of being awarded honorary doctorates," said John, the Vice-Chair of Biocon.
"The success of our company, Biocon, has allowed us to be philanthropic. Research at Glasgow resonates very closely with Biocon's principal interests in diabetes and cancer. Our gift therefore seeks to support research and precision oncology. The University of Glasgow has the potential to advance science to new levels and become a globally-recognised research hub," he said.
Glasgow-born John's career with Scotland-based textile firm Coats included management and financial positions across the world and led to him meeting his future wife Kiran in Bangalore. When they married in 1998, her firm Biocon was a pioneering biotech venture, and John took early retirement from Coats and helped his wife transform the company from a small company into a biotech giant, the university noted in a statement.
ADVERTISEMENT
John Shaw (L) and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (R) married in 1998. The University's Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, described the donation from the couple as an act of "extraordinary generosity".
He said: "The Research Hub, currently under construction, will create a unique environment which will break down organisational silos to allow the collaboration across disciplines on which world changing research breakthroughs now depend.
"It will allow us to impact on many of the most pressing issues of our time including new treatments for chronic and infectious diseases and reducing poverty in the Global South."
ADVERTISEMENT
Professor Dame Anna Dominiczak, Vice-Principal and Head of the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, welcomed the support for a Chair of Precision Oncology.
"Scotland is a world-leader in Precision Medicine and this support for Precision Oncology - an important branch of Precision Medicine - comes at a time when we are making significant progress," she said.
ADVERTISEMENT
John completed his MA in History/Modern History with Politics in 1970 from the University of Glasgow. He credits his alma mater for enabling him to meet any challenge through his subsequent business career.
"Building a business from scratch into a large enterprise takes courage, determination and endurance. Most importantly, it is a journey of risk management. Our message to young entrepreneurs and businessmen and women would be to pursue opportunities with a sense of purpose and a spirit of challenge. There are no guarantees or shortcuts to success," he said in his message to future university alumni.
For a good cause: Here are some Bollywood stars who endorsed social campaigns
1/4
The government has roped in Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan to promote Goods and Services Tax (GST), ahead of the sweeping tax reforms implementation scheduled from July 1. The megastar has been roped in just as the roll out of the biggest tax overhaul since independence entered its final phase. Ace badminton star PV Sindhu was previously the GST ambassador. This is not the first time that Big G has promoted a social campaign. Earlier, he was named the UNICEF brand ambassador for polio eradication. He has also been associated with 'Incredible India' campaign and Tiger conservation, since 2016.
The government has roped in Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan to promote Goods and Services Tax (GST), ahead of the sweeping tax reforms implementation scheduled from July 1. The megastar has been ..
Read More
Aamir Khan, who's made sensitive films like "Taare Zameen Par", which deals with the issue of dyslexia in children, has been roped in by UNICEF to become their brand ambassador for Nutrition and Child Rights in the year 2011. He has also been associated with the Incredible India campaign, as part of which he promoted Atithi Devo Bhava. In the past, he had also been appointed the brand ambassador by the Women and Child Development Ministry for spreading the message of curbing malnutrition among children. Being approached by the Railway Ministry along with Sachin Tendulkar Part of the National Voter Motivation Campaign in 2004 to urge people to step out of their homes and vote.
Aamir Khan, who's made sensitive films like "Taare Zameen Par", which deals with the issue of dyslexia in children, has been roped in by UNICEF to become their brand ambassador for Nutrition and Chil..
Read More
Vidya Balan works for the cause of drinking and sanitation campaign after the Rural Development ministry approached her to be the brand ambassador for a cause, which is still a persistent problem in rural India where women's basic need is neglected. In March 2011, she endorsed World Wildlife Fund's Earth Hour campaign in India. In 2012, she has campaigned for the cause of nutrition in India for Child in Need Institute, an NGO based in Kolkata. For her attempts to empower women, Vidya Balan was awarded the Prabha Khaitan Puraskar 2012 by the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce.
Vidya Balan works for the cause of drinking and sanitation campaign after the Rural Development ministry approached her to be the brand ambassador for a cause, which is still a persistent problem in ..
Read More
This yesteryear actress is well known for her social activism; she has raised her voice and expressed concern on a variety of issues. In 1989, she undertook a four-day march for communal harmony from New Delhi to Meerut. Her focus over the years though has remained in the areas of child and women's rights. She has fought for the stigma and injustice of those associated with AIDS. In 1998, the United Nations Population Fund appointed her as its Goodwill Ambassador for India. She has also advocated the cause of slum dwellers, displaced Kashmiri Pandit migrants, and victims of the earthquake at Latur (Maharashtra) in the past. Shabana Azmi has been the Goodwill Ambassador of the UNPF as well as for the HIV/AIDS programmes for SAARC region.
This yesteryear actress is well known for her social activism; she has raised her voice and expressed concern on a variety of issues. In 1989, she undertook a four-day march for communal harmony from..
