PUNE: India must shed its fear of failure if it hopes to become a global innovation powerhouse, says senior chemical engineer Man Mohan Sharma. He believes that scientific breakthroughs are impossible without unsuccessful experiments and the courage to pursue research with uncertainty. Sharma, who accepted the Vigyan Maharishi Award 2026 at the three-day National Scientists Roundtable Conference (NSRTC 2026) at MIT World Peace University (MIT WPU) on Sunday, said the country’s biggest challenge is the lack of a culture that accepts failure as a natural part of scientific discovery. The former director of Mumbai’s Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) urged researchers to continue to be driven by curiosity rather than guaranteed results.“The problem we face in India is that we do not have a culture of admitting failure. Without failure, there is no invention. If there is no invention, there is no innovation,” Sharma said while accepting the award. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh and a certificate in recognition of his lifetime contribution to science, engineering, industrial innovation, higher education and nation-building.Sharma urges researchers to continue to be driven by curiosity rather than guaranteed results. “Research is inspiring. It’s not preordained. You don’t know the outcome of the investigation. Sometimes, it’s like walking down a dead end to see if it’s really blind. Researchers who become mentors and innovators are a very different group of people. They are curious, never-ending work, passionate and eager to achieve,” he said.The three-day conference brought together scientists, researchers, industry leaders, academicians and students from across the country to discuss emerging scientific advancements and their role in realizing the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.In his keynote speech, renowned scientist RA Mashelkar said that India’s journey towards becoming a developed country must be driven by scientific excellence and innovation. “The question before us is not whether India can become a developed country. The real question is whether India can become a country that creates knowledge, owns knowledge, converts knowledge into wealth and ultimately converts wealth into social welfare,” he said.Mashelkar stressed that India must create science-driven startups and not just increase the number of startups. “A country is truly developed not only when it consumes advanced technology, but also when it creates advanced technology. It becomes even greater when it creates technology that improves life for all humanity,” he added.Rahul V. Karad, executive president of MIT WPU, said universities and governments must work together to foster scientific literacy and create an ecosystem that encourages young researchers to pursue basic science and innovation.Professor Padma Bhushan delivered a speech titled “Science and Technology Creates National Wealth”. JB Joshi, director of the Institute of ICT, Mumbai, said India achieved political freedom in 1947 but remained dependent on other countries for technology and knowledge. “We need another freedom struggle for our own rich knowledge, our own rich innovation, our own rich wealth,” he said.During the event, the inaugural DeepTech Young Entrepreneur Award was awarded to Swaasa co-founder Narayana Rao Sripada (for developing an AI-based smartphone respiratory screening solution) and Sagar Defense Engineering founder Capt. Nikunj Parashar (for indigenous maritime autonomy and defense robotics) with a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh each.