Bharat Biotech founder Dr Krishna Ella awarded INSA fellowship for 2025

HYDERABAD: The Indian National Science Academy (INSA) has conferred its prestigious India fellowship for 2025 upon Dr Krishna Ella, co-founder and executive chairman of Bharat Biotech, which developed India’s first indigenously developed Covid-19 Covaxin.
The fellowship recognises Dr Ella for his outstanding contributions to the development of new vaccine technologies as well as improvements in existing ones as well as new knowledge and discoveries in the field of biotechnology. Dr Ella’s fellowship term commenced on January 1, 2025.
With this, Dr Ella joins an illustrious group of fellows that includes prominent figures such as ISRO chairman Dr S Somanath, Dr Anil Kakodkar, Dr VK Saraswat, and Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan.
As an INSA fellow, he will have voting rights at general meetings and can nominate others for fellowships and awards.
This year’s selection process saw INSA include industry leaders among its 61 fellowship recipients for the first time in its history.

Delivering his address on the theme `Science in Translation’ at INSA’s 90^th anniversary general meeting in Chennai, Dr Ella emphasised his commitment to advancing public health in India and strengthening its biotech ecosystem.
Bharat Biotech, which was set up in 1996, has a portfolio of 18 vaccines and has delivered over nine billion vaccine doses to more than 125 countries. During the Covid-19 pandemic, apart from Covaxin, the company also developed a novel intranasal Covid-19 vaccine called iNCOVACC.
INSA, which was established in 1935, plays a crucial role in promoting scientific knowledge and its practical applications in India. It serves as a coordinating body among various scientific institutions and works to safeguard scientists’ interests while showcasing India’s scientific achievements internationally.