Ashok Soota wants elderly to be ‘happiest minds’, commits Rs 200 crore
BENGALURU : Founder and executive chairman of Happiest Minds, Ashok Soota, on Sunday launched a not-for-profit, SKAN, to conduct research on neurological and aging issues, partnering with the Indian Institute of Science’s (IISc) Centre for Brain Research (CBR) and St John’s Geriatric Centre (SJGC).
Soota, a newly-minted billionaire after his company went public recently, has committed Rs 200 crore for the projects. From this, 50 per cent has been earmarked for for the partners, while the rest is investments in SKAN that will include funding direct projects, a statement said.
The objective of the endeavour is to search for kinder, gentler therapies; delaying onset and slowing down the progression of the disease and providing persons a better quality of life even as they live with the illness, according to the statement on Sunday.
The first project will be through CBR on Parkinson’s Disease, for which the centre is in the process of setting up a consortium. Neurological research, apart from Parkinson’s Disease, will focus on areas like bipolar disorders, strokes and other cerebrovascular disorders.
The research on ageing will focus on under-researched areas, including the setting up of a large community-based research group. “It is likely to take about a decade to build a world-class institution to conduct research on neurology and ageing,” Soota said.
Without disclosing the names, he added that two eminent personalities have agreed to take charge as chairpersons of the two divisions “in case of an exigency to me if line of leadership is not ready to take charge”. Currently, SKAN is looking for chief executive officers, as well as talent for the two divisions pertaining to neurological research and research on ageing, the statement added.