IIT Kanpur alumnus Mukesh Pant, along with his wife Vinita Pant, has recently announced the signing of an MoU with his alma-mater to finance the foundation of the School of Medical Research and Technology (SMRT). The Micky and Vinita Pant Charitable Fund donated an amount of US$ 2.5 million (approximately Rs 18 crore) to the educational institute for the development of medical research in India.
Pant is a chemical engineering graduate from the 1976 batch of the prestigious institution. In his prolific career spanning over three decades, he has held influential positions in leading companies such as Reebok, Pepsico, Yum Brands, and Hindustan Unilever.
Pant shared with Indian dailies after signing the MoU with his alma mater, “The vision of a world-class medical school at IIT Kanpur is exciting. The current team, under the leadership of Prof Karandikar inspires great confidence. 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 the future.”
The School of Medical Research and Technology (SMRT) has been established with a vision to transform the field of medicine and technology research in the country. According to dailies, the initial phase of the SMRT project would involve the building of multiple Centres of Excellence aiming for advancements and innovation in medical research along with setting up a 500-bed super-specialty hospital.
The initiative aims to bring together the technical know-how of the latest engineering technologies along with recent advancements in the fields of biomedical, biotechnological, and clinical research to the med school students. According to plans, SMRT will bring out skillful medical professionals well-versed in the latest innovations and technologies to meet the healthcare needs of the country.
SMRT will also work towards the medical needs of the economically backward sections of the society in Kanpur as well as the general Indian population. IIT Kanpur director Prof Abhay Karandikar shared with leading dailies, “We pride ourselves on our alumni who have received national and international recognition and success but feel connected to their alma mater. We are grateful for this donation by our alumnus (Pant) through his charitable foundation towards establishing of the School of Medical Research and Technology.”
