Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam has received numerous awards for his contributions to modernizing government and defense technology, including honorary doctorates from more than 40 universities. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1981, the Bharat Ratna in 1990 and several other awards.

Prof. Kalam received the highest civilian award that can be given by the Indian government, the Padma Vibhushan, one of the most prestigious and coveted civilian awards in the world. He was the first to be honored as president of India after becoming president. Dr. Kalam has received the prestigious Bharat Ratna for his contributions to science and technology and has received several other prestigious awards, including the Rajiv Gandhi National Award for Distinguished Public Service.

In 2002, India's ruling National Democratic Alliance helped Kalam win the election against Lakshmi Sahgal and become India's first female president in its history. He easily won the elections and was sworn in in July 2002 as the country's first female president and youngest president in the history of the United Nations. Read the inspirational story of APJ Abdul Kalam in hindi.

Kerala Technological University, based in Thiruvananthapuram, where Kalam had lived for years, was renamed after his death. On March 28, 2003, he had the opportunity to meet with the students and teachers of the Kerala Institute of Science and Technology (KIT) in Kottayam. Although he did not attend the "Smiling Man" ceremony in front of thousands of students at the school, Raja Ramanna invited him to be a representative of TBRL. A memorial was erected in the corridor between the classroom and the school for those who had received their education under the direction of APJ Abdul Kalam and his wife Dr. K.K. Kalams.

Former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee praised the efforts of the NIF to promote innovation in the country and presented the award at the Gandhinagar campus in Gujarat. At this event, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was presented with the APJ Abdul Kalam Award for Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering and Humanities by a guest team of scientists and engineers from the National Institute of Science and Technology and Smriti Irani, India, and presented by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Abdul, who praised her for her contribution to science, technology, engineering and the humanities.