IIT Kanpur alumnus donates $2.5 million for setting up a new medical school

One of the most prestigious centres of technical education in the country, IIT Kanpur will soon house a dedicated hub for research and education in the field of medicine. As per the latest developments, Mukesh Pant, an alumnus of the institute has materialised an agreement worth $2.5 million with IIT-K for this establishment, reportedly. This amount shall help in the faster execution of projects for the School of Medical Research and Technology (SMRT).

A centre for amalgamating medical education with the latest technologies

The director of the institute, Abhay Karandikar expressed gratitude for the humongous donation amount through his Twitter platform. Informing about the distinguished alumni, his tweet read, "An MoU has been signed between IIT Kanpur & his charitable fund 'Micky & Vinita Pant'. Micky Pant has had an illustrious career spanning over 35 years, holding various senior positions in premier multinational companies such as Hindustan Unilever, PepsiCo, Reebok & Yum! Brands"

An ex-student of the chemical engineering department at IIT-K, he made the first donation of this kind through his organisation, Mickey and Vinita Pant Charitable Trust. Initiated with an objective to revamp medical education in the country, SMRT would work on interventions for complementing the field of the medical sector with the latest technological developments. Aggregating engineering expertise, biomedical innovation and clinical set-up on a single platform, the centre would impart education as per the global standards.

An attempt to provide advanced research opportunities

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Reportedly, the first phase of the project has two prime objectives. While centres of excellence will be set up to promote state-of-the-art research opportunities, the initial plans also include a 500-bed super-speciality hospital. As per the current framework, the centres of excellence shall work in association with the clinical departments in the hospital, reaping benefits from the biomedical research conducted in technological departments. Additionally, It is expected that the new hospital shall augment healthcare facilities for citizens from deprived sections of the society.