IIT-KGP to develop Centre of Excellence to foster medical advances

NEW DELHI: In order to promote innovation of affordable and indigenous medical devices and diagnostics in priority areas, the Indian Institute of Technology – Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) is planning to set up a ‘Centre of Excellence on Medical Device and Diagnostics’. According to a statement released by the institution, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved the proposal sent by the Institute and has already earmarked Rs 20 crore for it.

While talking about the initiative, Prof V K Tewari, Director, IIT-KGP said that the Institute is thankful to ICMR for entrusting them with an important responsibility. IIT-KGP and ICMR had previously collaborated for a MedTech internship programme which drew interest and participation from both engineering and medical students.

The main aim of the Centre of Excellence will be to develop marketable technologies in a time-bound manner and find new long-term solutions to address challenging problems in the field of medical devices and diagnostics. The Institute will also aim to make medical equipment affordable so as to reduce the burden of the cost of treatments that falls on the public.