A charitable trust founded by IIT Kanpur (IIT-K) alumnus Muktesh Pant and his wife Vinita, have announced signing of an MoU with the alma mater to support the establishment of the School of Medical Research and Technology (SMRT). The MoU with the Micky and Vinita Pant Charitable Fund, amounting to 2.5 million dollars, is the first such donation towards the development of the educational institute, according to a press statement.
"The vision of a world-class medical school at IIT Kanpur is extremely exciting. The current team, under the able leadership of Professor Abhay Karandikar, inspires great confidence," said Muktesh Pant, adding that "IIT Kanpur has always been renowned for leading the way in engineering education and this focus on bringing engineering excellence to medical technology has the potential to create many healthcare miracles in future."
Pant, also known as Micky, is an Indian American alumnus of IIT Kanpur, where he received a B.Tech degree in chemical engineering in 1976. According to the press statement, SMRT is an initiative by IIT Kanpur that aims to revolutionise medical education in India by bridging the gap between medical and technology disciplines.
The first phase of the project would include setting up of various Centres of Excellence (CoE), oriented towards cutting-edge medical research and innovation along with a 500-bed super specialty hospital. The CoE are expected to work in confluence with the core clinical departments of the hospital and biomedical expertise of various engineering departments of IIT Kanpur. Additionally, SMRT will also contribute towards meeting the healthcare needs of the population in Kanpur as well as provide benefits pan-India.
"SMRT will bring together the expertise of engineering technologies, biomedical research and clinical set-up under a single umbrella to create a one-of-its-kind world-class medical school in the country," Prof Abhay Karandikar, director of IIT Kanpur, said. "SMRT will produce outstanding medical professionals trained in state-of-art engineering technologies who can meet the future healthcare needs of our country. We hope that this contribution will motivate others also to contribute to create a legacy," he stated.
Meanwhile, in a career spanning over 35 years, Pant has held various senior positions in premier multinational companies such as Hindustan Unilever, PepsiCo, Reebok and Yum Brands. He is widely acclaimed for the phenomenal growth of Yum Brands' flagship labels such as KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell in international markets including the UK, USA, China and India. According to his profile on the IIT-K alumni page, the 65-year-old is known for his success in managing companies through social awareness, human understanding and human relationships. His mother, Shivani, is a famous Hindi novelist and his two sisters, Mrinal Pande and Ira Pande, are also well-known writers.
