Ashok Soota promoted SKAN Medical research trust provides a grant of Rs 20 Cr to IIT Roorkee

Roorkee: Mr. Ashok Soota promoted SKAN Medical Research Trust today announced a grant of Rs 20 Cr to IIT Roorkee towards sponsoring a Chair Professorship, three Faculty Fellowships, creation of a lab and funding of joint research projects. Mr. Soota is a doyen of the IT industry and an alumnus of IIT Roorkee.

SKAN is a public charitable trust set up for medical research. It was launched on April 5, 2021. The name SKAN denotes scientific knowledge for ageing and neurological ailments. Mr. Ashok Soota is the Chairman/Managing Trustee for SKAN.

As part of its support to medical research in India, SKAN has agreed to provide a grant of Rs. 20 Cr to IITR.

The grant of Rs 20 Cr will be utilized by IITR towards:

· Funding of an Institute Chair Professorship, two new faculty Fellowships and one Institute Research Fellowship.

· Establishment of a wet-lab in IITR.

· Funding of joint medical research projects. The first project under this agreement has already been identified and it is in the area of bipolar disease.

Mr. Ashok Soota, Chairman, SKAN Trust said, “I am delighted to have this opportunity to give back to my alma mater through this grant. There is negligible private funding towards medical research in India and I was pleased to see that IITR is doing excellent work in this area. I see this as a good opportunity for me to contribute and also fulfill these needs of IITR.”

Mr. B.V.R. Mohan Reddy, Chairman BoG, IIT Roorkee said, ”A big thank you Mr. Soota for giving back to your alma mater. Your generous funding will give further momentum to Biological Sciences and Bioengineering research at IITR. I am confident that IITR will make good use of your funding for research in ageing and neurological disorders to make the world a better place to live. You are an exemplar alumni and a role model for present and future generations.”

Prof Ajit K. Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee said, “Today is a momentous day in the history of IIT Roorkee. With one stroke, our alumnus Shri Ashok Soota has made a beginning in several directions. After a long gap, we are seeing an India based IIT alumnus make such a generous grant to his/her IIT. I am delighted that this time the donor happens to be an alumnus of IIT Roorkee. It marks a new chapter in the alumni engagement of IIT Roorkee. Through this gesture, Mr. Soota has also made a beginning in terms of directing private funding to support medical research in India. We are proud that our Institute has produced an alumnus as accomplished and innovative as Mr. Soota. We applaud his commitment to give back to society”.