Pune: IIT Bombay won the Praj-IISER Pune ‘Mimamsa 2024’ – the coveted National Level Science Competition held at the CV Raman Auditorium, IISER, Pune. In an intensely contested final on Sunday, 31^st March, 2024, IIT Delhi ended up as 1^st Runners-up while IISc Bengaluru and IIT Kanpur secured the 3^rd and 4^th position respectively. Winners and other finalists were bestowed with the Trophy and Certificates at the hands of Sachin Raole, CFO & Director (Resources), Praj Industries (Praj). Also, present on this occasion were Prof. Sunil Bhagwat, Director IISER, Pune, and Prof. Madhusudhan, Faculty coordinator.

The three-day grand finale that began on Thursday, 28^th March, 2024, with a Plenary Address by Dr. Ravindra Utgikar, Vice President, Praj comprised of three demanding problem-solving rounds requiring a focus on critical thinking and science fundamentals. Mimamsa 2024 saw an all-time high participation of 1437 teams represented by more than 5093 students from around 342 colleges across the country. The highlight of this year was the participation of the 292 All Girls team, with a rise of 12 per cent as compared to last year. Since 2020, Praj has been associated with Mimamsa, helping scale up the competition in all aspects. In the past four years, Mimamsa has grown by over 30 % in terms of number of institutes participating.

While congratulating the winners, Prof. Sunil S. Bhagwat, Director, IISER Pune, appreciated the partnership with Praj and reiterated the institute's dedication to fostering a conducive environment for scientific exploration. Prof. Bhagwat stated "The collaboration between IISER and Praj exemplifies our shared commitment to advancing scientific knowledge and promoting interdisciplinary research. We are grateful for Praj's continued support, that has significantly contributed to taking the Mimamsa Science Competition to greater heights."

On this occasion, Dr. Pramod Chaudhari, Founder and Chairman, Praj, said “Congratulations to team IIT Bombay for winning this year’s Mimamsa 2024. I firmly believe in the transformative power of science and technology to address global challenges and drive sustainable progress. Mimamsa is an excellent platform for budding scientists and technocrats to test their mettle in applying fundamentals to practical problem solving. I commend this student-led and faculty guided initiative at IISER Pune that is drawing participation from all corners of the nation. I am happy to note increasing participation from Tier-III cities and reiterate our long-term commitment to further growing Mimamsa. I would like to congratulate all the finalists and everyone who participated for keeping the scientific fervour high.”

The Praj IISER Mimamsa 2024 Science Competition celebrates the brilliance and ingenuity of young minds in the field of science. All the finalists get to visit the R&D Matrix, the state of the art innovation center to get a first-hand feel of cutting edge research in Industrial Biotechnology. This annual event serves as a platform to inspire and recognise the next generation of scientific leaders, fostering innovation and collaboration in the pursuit of scientific excellence.

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune is a teaching and research institute set up in 2006 by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development (now renamed as the Ministry of Education), Govt. of India, with the primary goal of integrating high-quality research with undergraduate teaching to improve science education in India and to enhance the number and quality of future researchers of the country. The institute offers a 5-year BS-MS dual degree programme, Integrated PhD programme for bachelor level students, and PhD programme for master’s level students in various disciplines of science and mathematics. Ranked 25 in the 2020 by National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), IISER Pune is among the top research and teaching organisations in India.

Praj, India's most accomplished industrial biotech company, is driven by innovation, integration, and delivery capabilities. Over the past four decades, Praj has focused on the environment, energy, and agri?process industry, with 1000++ customer references spanning 100+ countries across all five continents. Bio?Mobility^TM and Bio?PrismTM are the mainstays of Praj's contribution to the global Bioeconomy.