Krishna Ella, of Bharat Biotech, conferred INSA Fellowship

Krishna Ella, Chairman of Bharat Biotech. File | Photo: Bijoy Ghosh

Dr. Krishna Ella, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Bharat Biotech International, one of India’s leading vaccine makers, was earlier this week conferred with the India Fellowship of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) – among the country’s science academies – for the year 2025. This is the first year that the INSA has awarded fellowships to representatives from the industry.

“Dr. Krishna Ella, a prominent Indian scientist and entrepreneur, leads Bharat Biotech in ground-breaking vaccine development. His achievements include India’s Covaxin, the world’s first clinically proven conjugated Typhoid Vaccine, ROTAVAC, and the first preservative-free vaccine, Revac-B mcf Hepatitis B Vaccine. Bharat Biotech also introduced India’s first cell-cultured Swine Flu vaccine and manufactures the world’s most affordable Hepatitis vaccines. Additionally, they were the first globally to develop a vaccine for the Zika virus,” said the citation on the website of INSA.

Other notable scientists and technologists who were conferred an INSA fellowship this year included Anil Kakodkar, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India; V.K. Saraswat, Former Director General, DRDO; S. Somanath, Chairman ISRO; S. Kris Gopalakrishnan, Co-founder, Infosys; Samir V. Kamat, Secretary DDR&D and Chairman, DRDO.

This year a total of 61 fellowships were awarded. Elected INSA fellows may attend and vote at INSA general meetings and can propose other individuals for fellowships or INSA awards.

“I deeply appreciate and am thankful to be recognized for my contribution in the field of vaccines and biotechnology by INSA. I look forward to continuing to support its initiatives, to improve public health, and make India self-reliant and a dominant force in discovering novel vaccines as an Indian fellow,” Dr. Ella said in a statement. “I share this honour with all of my highly motivated team at Bharat Biotech, research fellows, and other collaborators who have contributed enormously to improve public health,” he added.