Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025: 25 Scientific Trailblazers Honoured
The Government of India has announced the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (RVP) 2025 list, honouring 24 distinguished scientists and one pioneering research team for their transformative contributions across various scientific domains.
Key Takeaways
- 25 awardees recognized: 24 individual scientists and 1 research team
- Awards span four categories including the prestigious Vigyan Ratna
- Ceremony to be held on February 28, 2026, at Rashtrapati Bhavan
- Replaces 16 fragmented science awards with unified recognition system
Prestigious Award Categories
The Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar features four distinct categories celebrating scientific excellence at different career stages:
Vigyan Ratna: The nation’s highest civilian honour in science and technology, first conferred in 2024 upon Dr. Govindarajan Padmanabhan for his groundbreaking work on malaria parasite research. This lifetime achievement award is presented annually on National Space Day (August 23).
Vigyan Shri: Eight senior researchers received this award for sustained impact in fields ranging from quantum materials to sustainable agriculture.
Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar: Fourteen early- and mid-career innovators under 45 years were named awardees in this reimagined version of the iconic SS Bhatnagar Prize.
Vigyan Team Award: The sole team recognition went to the CSIR Aroma Mission, a multi-institutional consortium that has revitalised aromatic crop cultivation across 60,000 hectares, empowering over 50,000 farmers in 26 states.
Notable Achievements
The 2025 cohort showcases India’s expanding scientific capabilities. Among the Vigyan Shri recipients are a climate modeller whose AI-driven monsoon forecasts have reduced crop losses by 18% in Odisha, and a materials scientist developing biodegradable polymers from agricultural waste for medical implants.
The Yuva awardees include a 38-year-old astrophysicist decoding fast radio bursts at Pune’s Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope and a 41-year-old biotechnologist engineering salt-tolerant rice strains undergoing field trials in coastal Tamil Nadu.
Transparent Selection Process
Launched in 2023 to replace 16 fragmented science awards, the RVP scheme establishes a unified, transparent recognition framework. Nominations are vetted by a 300-member search-cum-selection committee chaired by Principal Scientific Adviser Ajay Kumar Sood, ensuring peer-driven meritocracy.
Unlike earlier prizes, RVP carries no cash component, instead offering a sanad, citation, and a medal cast in panchdhatu symbolising the unity of five classical elements.
The awards will be presented by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on National Science Day, February 28, 2026. As India targets a $1 trillion research economy by 2047, the RVP celebrates both past breakthroughs and the nation’s commitment to placing science at the heart of development.
