Kanpur: The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur on Tuesday 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 is the proprietor of the Anil and Kumud Bansal Foundation and is an alumnus of IIT-Kanpur. Under the MoU, the Anil and Kumud Bansal Foundation pledges to donate an amount of US$2.5 million for the establishment of the School. The School is now being named as Gangwal School of Medical Sciences and Technology.
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 square feet. 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 three to five years. The Phase II of the project will see the hospital capacity grow to 1,000 beds, expansion in clinical departments/centers, research areas, the inclusion of paramedical disciplines, alternative medicine, hospital management, sports medicine, and public health programs. The Phase II is planned to be completed over a period of 7-10 years.
Bansal on the occasion 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 and believe that this new endeavour to set up a one-of-a-kind School of Medical Sciences & Technology would truly bring a new outlook to the field of medical research and innovation in India.” Director, IITKanpur, Professor Abhay Karandikar said, “Our vision has been getting shaped with the growing generous insights and contributions from our global alumni network. The dedicated school of this kind is being set up to bridge the gap between medical and technology disciplines in order to bring a paradigm shift in medical research and innovation in India. 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 graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1977 from IIT-Kanpur and went on to study at the University of Notre Dame. He is the President of First National Realty Management, which owns and manages commercial properties throughout the United States. A true entrepreneur, he was the main founder of Indus American Bank, as well as an investor in many IT companies. He is active in his New Jersey community and serves on the boards of several corporations and charity organizations.
