In its quest for excellence, Lodha Foundation launches LTPI
Not so long ago, the government of India had launched India’s National Quantum Physics Movement. Building on the investment in physics, India’s only fully privately funded institute has now been unveiled in Mumbai. The Lodha Theoretical Physics Institute (LTPI), started by Lodha Foundation, has received a Rs20,000 crore endowment from the Lodha family, promoters of Lodha Developers Ltd. The country is now poised to be a global leader in the coming years.
The LTPI, led by Jainendra Jain, professor & recipient of the Wolf Prize, will encourage bold ideas in fundamental physics. The institute seeks to address the need for sustained, long-term inquiry by creating an academic environment that enables focused research programmes, international conferences and meaningful collaboration among leading scientists from India and across the world.
“We at the Lodha Foundation believe that the pursuit of excellence in everything that we do is important to creating the biggest possible impact,” says Abhishek Lodha, trustee, Lodha Foundation and CEO & MD, Lodha Developers. “Whether it is identifying geniuses from across the country and putting them on accelerated programmes, investing in urban sustainability solutions or aiding and promoting innovation and research through Lodha Mathematical Sciences Institute and, now, LTP Institute, we want to contribute meaningfully in India’s momentous journey towards becoming a developed nation”.
The LTPI is founded on the vision that transformative technological eras are preceded by revolutions in the fundamental sciences. It will serve as a dedicated centre for fundamental research in India. By bringing together exceptional faculty, post-doctoral fellows and long-term visitors, the institute will provide intellectual freedom, stability, a collaborative spirit and the courage to pursue deep questions and bold ideas, enabling discoveries whose impact will unfold over decades.
Taking a bet for India
“The most extraordinary minds from across the world come together and spend time here, freely thinking about physics without any encumbrances,” says Ashish Kumar Singh, chief mentor, Lodha Foundation. “When extraordinary minds get together, they produce extraordinary results and this is a bet we are taking for India.”
The LTPI will be headed by Jainendra K. Jain, founding director and a renowned theoretical physicist, who is also a recipient of the Oliver E. Buckley Prize and the Wolf Prize in Physics. His discovery of emergent particles called composite fermions and the theory describing them has profoundly advanced the understanding of correlated quantum matter and continues to shape modern theoretical physics.
“We know that theoretical physics lies at the heart of our understanding of nature,” says Jain. “Advances in theoretical physics have historically shaped scientific thought and laid the groundwork for transformative developments across disciplines. To become a developed nation by 2047, it will be incumbent on India to build strong institutions with world-class scientific research infrastructure. The LTPI will be an especially significant effort in that direction, as it will be the first fully privately funded physics institute in India”, says Jain.
Starting with a big bang, the LTPI hosted the 10th international meeting on Emergent Phenomena in Quantum Hall Systems (EPQHS-10). The three-day workshop series witnessed several renowned scientists from across the globe, who announced exciting recent discoveries and discussed promising future directions in the field of physics. During the workshop, Klaus Von Klitzing, director emeritus, Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research and a recipient of the Nobel Prize, delivered a public lecture, hosted in association with the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. The lecture described how the discovery of the ‘Quantum Hall effect’ emerged from basic, curiosity-driven research into the behaviour of electrons in extreme conditions and how this unexpected finding eventually revolutionised the international system of measurement standards.
According to Lodha Foundation, the LTPI would receive funding to the tune of $100 million over the span of the next 8-10 years. The foundation that believes in ‘Philanthropy of Excellence’ is investing in nation-building. Last year, they launched the Lodha Mathematical Sciences Institute. The foundation advances long-term, high-impact initiatives across education for the gifted, innovation through institutions, sustainability in urban spaces and community development.