IndiGo co-founder Rakesh Gangwal pledges Rs 300 crore more to IIT Kanpur

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur announced on Monday that Rakesh Gangwal, an alumnus and co-founder of IndiGo, has donated an additional Rs 300 crore to the institute’s Gangwal School of Medical Sciences and Technology.

In 2022, Gangwal contributed Rs 100 crore to support IIT Kanpur in establishing a medical school on campus.

IIT Kanpur said in a press statement that under the latest commitment, Gangwal will provide matching grants against contributions from other supporters, up to Rs 300 crore.

Gangwal said it was “an honour and a privilege to be part of this innovative and first-of-its-kind medical institution”.

The move is aimed at encouraging contributions from alumni and other donors towards the development of the medical school, which is being built around the integration of medicine, engineering and technology.

The medical school will have a 500-bed super-speciality hospital and a 200-bed cancer care research centre, as per the proposal.

The facilities are intended to support medical education, clinical research and healthcare delivery, while bringing doctors, researchers, engineers and technology experts together, said the statement.

IIT Kanpur director Manindra Agrawal said Gangwal’s initial contribution helped the institute set its plan in motion. “This additional contribution of Rs 300 crore by Gangwal will help us bring this vision into reality sooner,” Agrawal said.

Anil K Lalwani, who was recently appointed dean of the Gangwal School, said the contribution would support the school’s aim of combining medicine, technology and innovation.

The Gangwal School of Medical Sciences and Technology is intended to leverage IIT Kanpur’s existing strengths in engineering, science and technology alongside medical sciences, with a focus on academic programmes, interdisciplinary research and medtech innovation.

The proposed hospital and cancer research centre are expected to be a key part of the institute’s effort to build an integrated medical sciences and technology ecosystem on campus.