At a global scientists meet in Hyderabad, Dr. Simon Kay from Wellcome Trust of United Kingdom (UK) urged the fellow scientists to maintain and respect diversity, which will help them to carryout effective research and enable innovation.

Taking part in a two-day annual meeting of scientists from across the globe in Hyderabad, Dr. Kay from Wellcome Trust said that scientists must maintain and respect diversity in their workplaces to ensure inclusiveness. It also helps scientists to go to the heart of how to do research and innovation effectively, observed Dr. Kay.

Scientists of various life sciences background gave scientific presentations on themes ranging from genomics, cancer, neuroscience, nutrition, stem cell research and many others. Apart from the scientific presentations, there were talks and discussions on various facets of biomedical research in India.

Renowned Indian scientist Prof. D Balasubramanian from LVPEI in Hyderabad, encouraged the scientists to talk about science to the public and explained its importance. As part of a public engagement exercise, the two-day event also included a display of research images by the fellows, which were judged for their visual impact, context and its utility for a public audience. There were many interactive sessions throughout the two days which also showcased the research funded by the Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance.

Overall the scientific meet witnessed more than 100 funded scientists from around 50 institutions across India. In addition to this, 30 eminent Indian and international scientists from University of Oxford, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of Oxford, University of California, USA, University of North Texas Health Science Center, USA, Johns Hopkins University, USA, University of Leeds, University of Dundee, UK and Institute of Molecular, Cell Biology, Portugal, University College of London, National Institute of Medical Research, UK and MRC National Institute of Medical Research, UK, two representatives from the African Academy of Sciences  participated in this two-day event to understand the operations of the India Alliance as they prepare for a similar partnership with the Wellcome Trust, UK, in Africa.