Dr. Manmohan Singh Trust Institutes Awards and Fellowships at IISER Mohali to Honour Academic Excellence

Dr. Manmohan Singh Trust Institutes Awards and Fellowships at IISER Mohali to Honour Academic Excellence

S.A.S,Nagar 15 June ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : The Dr. Manmohan Singh Trust has instituted Dr. Manmohan Singh Awards for Academic Excellence and the Dr. Manmohan Singh Fellowships at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, to recognise outstanding academic achievement and support meritorious students in science education. The first Dr. Manmohan Singh Awards for Academic Excellence will be presented during the 15th Convocation of IISER Mohali on June 16, 2026. Four awardees from the graduating BS-MS batch, each being the highest academic performer in their respective science discipline, will be honoured at the ceremony.

The awards will be presented by Mr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Trustee of the Dr. Manmohan Singh Trust, distinguished economist, and former Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, and Dr. Vijay Tankha, noted philosopher and son-in-law of Dr. Manmohan Singh. Both will attend the Convocation as special guests. Mr. Ahluwalia, worked closely with Dr. Singh through some of India's most consequential economic decisions, and Dr. Tankha, who knew him as family. Instituted in memory of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Awards are to be given annually to BS-MS students securing the highest score in each of the five science departments: Physical Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Biological Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, and Earth and Environmental Sciences. Each Award carries a cash prize of Rs. 50,000.

The Dr. Manmohan Singh Fellowships will also be launched from the academic year 2026–27. Two fellowships will be awarded annually to outstanding BS-MS students entering the fourth year of their programme. Each fellowship provides financial support of Rs. 2 lakh per year for two years, helping deserving students continue their scientific education and research. Students will be selected on the basis of academic merit, financial need, diversity, and performance in an interview. The first cohort of Dr. Manmohan Singh Fellows will be announced during the Foundation Day celebrations of IISER Mohali in September 2026, commemorating the occasion on which Dr. Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone of the Institute twenty years earlier.

These honours carry special significance for IISER Mohali, whose history is deeply intertwined with Dr. Manmohan Singh's vision for science education. Dr. Singh laid the foundation stone of IISER Mohali on September 26, 2006, and played a decisive role in its location. Later, the Government of Punjab acquired 381 acres of land in Mohali for the Knowledge City project that today houses IISER Mohali. Dr. Manmohan Singh's contribution extends beyond IISER Mohali to the very creation of the IISER system itself. The concept of establishing dedicated institutions that would integrate high-quality undergraduate education with frontline scientific research received Dr. Singh's enthusiastic support from its earliest stages. Today, the IISERs are widely regarded as one of India's most successful initiatives in science education and research, nurturing generations of scientists and scholars across the country.

The establishment of these Awards and Fellowships followed a visit to IISER Mohali in April this year by Dr. Manmohan Singh's daughters, eminent historian Prof. Upinder Singh and noted author Ms. Daman Singh, both Trustees of the Dr. Manmohan Singh Trust. During the visit, discussions were held on commemorating Dr. Singh's enduring association with the Institute and furthering his lifelong commitment to education, scientific inquiry, and academic excellence.

Welcoming the initiative, Prof. Anil Kumar Tripathi, Director, IISER Mohali, said: "Dr. Manmohan Singh was a visionary whose belief that science education must be pursued with the highest standards of excellence is something we strive to embody every day at IISER Mohali. These Awards and Fellowships instituted by the Dr. Manmohan Singh Trust will inspire generations of students to pursue that ideal, and we are deeply honoured to be the home of this tribute to his memory." The Chief Guest for the 15th Convocation will be Dr. A. S. Kiran Kumar, a distinguished space scientist and former Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Dr. Kiran Kumar led ISRO during a landmark period in India's space history, and oversaw missions such as the Mars Orbiter Mission.