The Dr Kasturirangan Trust was launched at an inaugural ceremony in Bengaluru on 25 October 2026, established to perpetuate the legacy of the late Dr Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan (1940–2025), former ISRO chairman and architect of the National Education Policy 2020.
The Trust’s mandate covers four focus areas – space and technology, education, sustainability and public policy – and it will operate as a non‑profit, non‑political public charitable trust governed by a Board of Trustees, an Advisory Board and an Executive Council.
Its support mechanisms include fellowships, scholarships, research grants, conferences, book‑writing assistance, scientific curation and collaborations with Indian and international institutions.
The first programme, the Dr Kasturirangan 2027 Fellowship, targets six early‑career researchers (PhD or post‑doctoral) whose work spans at least two of the Trust’s focus areas and demonstrates real‑world applicability. Each fellow will receive a one‑time research‑cost award of Rs 4 lakh, mentorship, participation in two annual workshops to present their work, and membership in a peer community.
Eligibility is limited to candidates who defended their PhD thesis between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2026. For the inaugural cohort, nominations must be submitted by a group of eminent individuals acquainted with Dr Kasturirangan or by leading universities; an open call for applications is planned for subsequent years. Nomination window opens on 27 October 2026 and closes on 31 December 2026; the first cohort will be announced on 25 April 2027.
The Trust is guided by Dr Kasturirangan’s values of responsible research, compassion, excellence and respect for nature. Trustees present at the launch included Anurag Behar, Dr Sanjay Rangan, Dr Mukund Kasursrinivas Rao and others. Dr Sanjay Rangan, a trustee, emphasized the Trust’s aim to bring together people and institutions to develop solutions that benefit society and nurture future leaders.
Contact information: email info@drkasturirangantrust.org; website www.drkasturirangantrust.org.