The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur announced the signing of an MoU with the Anil and Kumud Bansal Foundation to support the establishment of the School of Medical Sciences and Technology (SMST) at IIT Kanpur. Anil Bansal, the proprietor of the Anil and Kumud Bansal Foundation, is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and runs the Foundation, along with his wife Kumud Bansal. Under the MoU, the Anil and Kumud Bansal Foundation pledged to donate an amount of US$2.5 million for the establishment of the school. The school is now named as Gangwal School of Medical Sciences and Technology.

Prof Abhay Karandikar, Director, IIT Kanpur said, “Our vision has been getting shaped with the growing generous insights and contributions from our global alumni network. We planted the seed for setting up a dedicated school to bridge the gap between medical and technology disciplines in order to bring a paradigm shift in medical research and innovation in India, and now it is our alumni who are coming forward to help us nurture that vision into a reality. We are grateful for this generous contribution from our alumnus, Anil Bansal, and welcome him to be a part of the Founder’s Circle in our endeavor to achieve
this goal.”

Anil Bansal said, “To be able to contribute to one’s alma mater always feels great and when the occasion is such a noble one, the excitement gets multiplied. I am glad to witness IIT Kanpur scaling new heights under the able leadership of Professor Abhay Karandikar and believe that this new endeavor to set up a one-of-a-kind School of Medical Sciences and Technology would truly bring a new outlook to the field of medical research and innovation in India. My wife Kumud and I are delighted to be part of this journey.”

The medical school at IIT Kanpur will be completed in two phases. Phase I of the project will include setting up a 500-bed Super-Specialty Hospital, Academic Block, Residential/Hostel, and Service Block with a total built-up area of approximately 8,10,000 sq ft. Phase I will also include setting up Centers of
Excellence (CoE) for pursuing R&D activities in futuristic medicine. This phase is tentatively planned to be completed over the next 3-5 years. Phase II of the project will see the hospital capacity grow to 1000 beds, expansion in clinical departments/centres, research areas, the inclusion of paramedical disciplines, alternative medicine, hospital management, sports medicine and public health programs. Phase II is planned to be completed over a period of 7-10 years.