Vigyan Ratna: India’s crown jewel of scientific honour
INFONUGGET: India’s top science award, similar to the Nobel Prize
Instituted in 2023 and first conferred in 2024, this prestigious award celebrates a lifetime of contribution to the advancement of scientific thought and innovation. It forms the pinnacle of the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (RVP) scheme — a Padma-style national honour dedicated exclusively to the scientific community. Alongside the Vigyan Ratna, the scheme also includes Vigyan Shri, Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar and Vigyan Team awards.
The inaugural laureate in 2024 was Dr Govindarajan Padmanabhan, an eminent biochemist whose groundbreaking research on the malaria parasite shaped India’s biomedical landscape.
This year’s Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar list — announced on October 25, 2025 — also celebrated 24 other scientists and one research team for their pathbreaking contributions.
The recent list for the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025 included 24 other scientists and one research team, adding to the principal awardees. These additional awards recognised their significant contributions across various scientific fields, which were announced on October 25, 2025, by the government (Vigyan Shri Awardees (8), Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awardees (14) and Vigyan Team Award: CSIR Aroma Mission).
The Vigyan Ratna Award — instituted in 2023 under the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar Scheme — is the highest national honour in science and technology, recognising lifetime contributions. It is conferred annually on National Space Day (August 23) and parallels India’s vision of “Viksit Bharat through Vigyan” — a nation guided by the light of scientific temper.
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