Avra Laboratories, Hyderabad, has made a philanthropic contribution of Rs. 5 crores to the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), to support a state-of-the-art auditorium located in the upcoming 260,000 sq. ft. modern building for the Division of Chemical Sciences. The generous gesture was made by Dr. A. V. Rama Rao, founder and CMD, and Dr. Chandra Rama Rao, Chief Operating Officer, Avra Laboratories. In recognition of their gift, the auditorium will be named as “A. V. Rama Rao Auditorium”.
“Every success in any field is due to efforts based on scientific maneuvering and management. For any country, institution or corporation the quest towards dominance comes from the capitalization of science. The only way India can tackle its multitude of challenges is when its people think and act with a scientific temperament and promote the understanding and dissemination of science,” says Dr. A. V. Rama Rao. “The Indian Institute of Science is both a citadel and beacon for mavens who proliferate science and I am honored to have the opportunity to contribute to its evolution.”
Dr. A. V. Rama Rao is a renowned and respected organic chemist, institution builder and entrepreneur. A former director of the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), he established Avra Laboratories in 1995, which has now grown into a large pharmaceutical company focusing on high-end contract research, custom synthesis of complex chemicals, niche intermediates and APIs.The company has two facilities in Hyderabad with one unit approved by USFDA and another facility operating in Visakhapatnam.
As an academic, Dr. Rama Rao developed over 30 process technologies for making life-saving drugs more affordable. He also established for the first time a school of excellence for the synthesis of bio-functional molecules such as anti-tumour antibiotics, immune suppressants and cyclic peptides. He has trained over 112 PhD students who now occupy senior positions in academic institutions and multinational companies.He is a fellow of all the Indian science academies and of The World Academy of Sciences. Dr. Rama Rao has received the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan in recognition of his services to the chemistry community and the nation.
“The state-of-the-art Chemical Sciences building will be ready within the next year; at this juncture, the generous contribution by Dr.Rama Rao and Avra Laboratories to help setup a world-class 300 – seater auditorium would be the icing on the cake,” says Prof. P K Das, Chair, Division of Chemical Sciences, IISc. “The auditorium will become the venue of choice for bringing world class scientists together for conferences, seminars, workshops, symposia, etc.We hope this will also encourage other leading chemical industries to follow Dr. Rao’s footsteps and help forge a cordial industry-academia relationship.”
The Division of Chemical Sciences at IISc has five departments with about 60 faculty members and 270 PhD students. Over the last decade,it has often maintained its position among the top 50 chemistry departments in world rankings. The Indian Institute of Science has also been consistently ranked as the number one institution for higher learning in India.
