The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur has signed a landmark agreement with the Co-founder of IndiGo Airlines, Rakesh Gangwal, for a donation of Rs 100 crore towards building the School of Medical Sciences and Technology at the IIT campus.
Gangwal, who also happens to be an alumna of the institution, pledged the amount for the establishment of the institute. It has been proposed that the institute be named after him. Gangwal will also be on its Board of Directors.
The entrepreneur emphasised the concurrence between medicine and technology in recent times and expressed confidence that such an institution will help further medical research in India. "I am proud to see the institution that has produced thousands of leaders across various sectors, is now paving the way in the healthcare sector. More than ever, healthcare is intertwined with technological advances and this School will accelerate innovation in healthcare,” he said, of his alma mater.
"The idea is to nurture cross-disciplinary learning for medical doctors and offer them minor or dual-degrees in allied fields (Data Science, Image Processing, Machine Learning, Molecular Medicine etc), and to offer immersive learning for our science and engineering students for R&D in MedTech domains," said the institute in a statement.
The institute will be materialised in two phases, with Phase I expected to be completed in three to four years' time. There is a proposition for a 500-bed Super-Specialty Hospital, Academic Block, Residential/Hostel and Centres of Excellence for research, spread across an area of 8,10,000 sq ft, as part of Phase I.
"In a bid for the immediate launch of Centres of Excellence (CoEs) focussed on R&D in MedTech and Medical Research, we have conceived nine thematic areas for the CoEs and three have already been launched. These are CoE in Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Disease Research, Telemedicine and Robotics and Non-Invasive Medical Imaging and Diagnostics. Each of the CoEs will have about 10-15 faculty members from diverse departments of the institute and work on mission-mode projects," said Prof S Ganesh, Deputy Director, IIT Kanpur. The centres will be built on a consortium model and initial funding has already been received.
So what courses are on offer in a School of Medical Sciences in an IIT? "We plan to offer DM and MCh degree programmes in nine clinical departments as per the approved norms of the NMC and will start a few interdisciplinary Sciences and Engineering programmes at Master's and PhD levels. The details are being worked out," shares Prof Ganesh.
