IIT Kanpur alumnus donates ₹1.6 crore to his alma mater

Ashish Karandikar, US-based alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) has donated 200,000 USD, equivalent to Indian Rupees 1,60,00,000 to his alma mater, to establish three endowed programs aimed at fostering innovation, excellence, and academic growth within the Electrical Engineering department at IIT Kanpur, the institute said in a press release

Updated on: Dec 11, 2023, 06:12:00 IST

By HT Correspondent, Lucknow

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Ashish Karandikar, US-based alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) has donated 200,000 USD, equivalent to Indian Rupees 1,60,00,000 to his alma mater, to establish three endowed programs aimed at fostering innovation, excellence, and academic growth within the Electrical Engineering department at IIT Kanpur, the institute said in a press release.

The programs have been initiated by signing a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) betwee Karandikar, IIT Kanpur, and the IITK Foundation, USA. Karandikar, an Electrical Engineering graduate of 1995 batch, is the brother of Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, former Director and alumnus of IIT Kanpur.

The three endowments include Smt. Lata and Shri K.G. Karandikar Faculty Chair, awarded to IITK faculty, empowering them to drive ground-breaking research and mentor future generations of engineers; Karandikar Best Ph.D. Thesis Award, recognising outstanding scholarly contributions celebrating exceptional doctoral theses, and encouraging innovation and academic rigor among doctoral candidates; Karandikar Student Scholarship, aiming to nurture and support students, providing them with financial assistance to pursue their academic endeavors, and making significant contributions to the field of electrical engineering.

On this occasion, Prof. S. Ganesh, Director, IIT Kanpur said, “We are grateful to Mr. Ashish Karandikar for this kind gesture which makes him part of a distinguished legacy of alumni who have contributed generously to the institution. The setting up of these endowed programs will pave the way for newer avenues of growth for our faculty, researchers, and students of the EE Department alike, thereby also contributing to the flourishing R&D ecosystem at the institute.”

Ashish Karandikar, currently the Vice President at NVIDIA, said, “I fundamentally believe that education has the power to change lives. It certainly has changed mine and IIT education has played a significant role in that. Electrical engineering is my passion and both of us, Abhay and I, wanted to contribute back to the electrical Engineering Department and IIT, and are thankful for the opportunity to contribute back.”