Archive · 24 Sep 2026
IIT Kanpur’s medtech push builds a healthcare innovation pipeline
IIT Kanpur is building a place where doctors, engineers and scientists can work together on healthcare problems.
The goal is to create useful medical tools for patients in India.
Rakesh Gangwal has promised ₹400 crore to support the medical school.
A new innovation centre will receive $5 million over five years.
The centre will help researchers develop, test and sell medical devices, diagnostics and other technologies.
Projects include a heart-support implant, a smart wheelchair and portable X-ray equipment.
The campus also plans to include a large hospital and several specialised research centres.
The difficult part will be proving that these inventions are safe, affordable and ready for real-world use.
Rakesh Gangwal has increased his commitment to IIT Kanpur’s medical school from ₹100 crore to ₹400 crore.
The Wadhwani Innovation Centre will receive $5 million over five years to support life-sciences and medical-technology research.
IIT Kanpur plans to combine medical education, clinical care, research and technology on one campus.
Projects include a digital health stack, an implantable heart device, a smart wheelchair and portable tuberculosis X-ray technology.
The initiative aims to move innovations from clinical problems through validation, regulation, manufacturing and commercialisation.
- Who
- IIT Kanpur, the Gangwal School of Medical Sciences and Technology, Rakesh Gangwal, and partner organisations including the Uttar Pradesh government and ICICI Foundation.
- What
- IIT Kanpur is developing an integrated medical education, clinical research and medtech commercialisation ecosystem.
- When
- Rakesh Gangwal pledged ₹100 crore in 2022 and has now pledged an additional ₹300 crore; the Wadhwani Innovation Centre was launched recently.
- Where
- On the IIT Kanpur campus, with a digital-health pilot at public health centres in Lucknow.
- Why
- To connect clinical needs with engineering and scientific expertise and improve the development of locally relevant medical technologies.
- Total Gangwal commitment
- ₹400 crore
- Wadhwani Centre funding
- $5 million over five years
- Planned hospital
- 500-plus-bed Yadupati Singhania Super Speciality Hospital
- Planned specialised centres
- 11 centres of excellence
- Research areas
- Medical devices, diagnostics, therapeutics and healthcare technology
- Early digital-health work
- A health information exchange piloted at public health centres in Lucknow
- Training approach
- Interdisciplinary MS and PhD programmes, followed later by a broader MBBS programme