Ashoka University’s plans to build an institution of higher learning, as the Harish and Bina Shah Foundation (HBSF) has made a donation of Rs 250 crores, the single largest such contribution received by the university in its 10-year history, as per the press release.
The unrestricted grant is especially focused on driving teaching and research excellence in the humanities disciplines (typically including languages, literature, history and philosophy) and supporting interdisciplinary research initiatives in the social and natural sciences at Ashoka. The grant will be deployed in tranches over a period of 5 years to accelerate the university’s growth.
“As Ashoka University embarks upon its next phase of growth towards being a global research-focused university, we at the Harish and Bina Shah Foundation are honoured to support one of the most important institutions shaping Indian higher education. As a foundation, one of our goals is to promote world-class education and research through Indian-origin institutions,” Harish Shah, Director, Harish & Bina Shah Foundation.
The HBSF grant will be directed to strengthen the undergraduate and graduate programmes across humanities, while promoting global collaborations and supporting interdisciplinary research initiatives in areas that intersect with the social and natural sciences at Ashoka, such as development economics, artificial intelligence, technology for society and healthcare among others, as outlined in the statement.
“This generous contribution by HBSF will help Ashoka to enhance its capabilities to nurture the immense talent of India’s students by providing quality higher education especially in the humanities disciplines,” Pramath Raj Sinha, co-founder, chairperson, Board of Trustees, Ashoka University, said.
