10 Students of IIT Kharagpur get Scholarship from Guru Krupa Foundation

10 Students of IIT Kharagpur get Scholarship from Guru Krupa Foundation

June 16, 2023, West Bengal, India: In collaboration with IIT Kharagpur Foundation, USA (IITKGPF), the Guru Krupa Foundation (GKF) Scholarship was awarded to 10 students of IIT Kharagpur this year. This is the 2nd year that the GKF Scholarship will support the IIT KGP students to carry out their research internship in foreign universities. 10 students were selected by the IIT KGP selection committee for a total scholarship award of $45,000.  Each conferred scholarship depends upon the funding received by the student from their host institutions. The GKF scholars are pursuing their summer research internship at premier universities in the USA, UK, Belgium, Canada, and Germany.

 

Dr. Mukund Padmanabhan, the IIT Kharagpur Alumnus is the man behind this noble initiative who stated that, “These summer programs definitely add value to IIT KGP academia and it is my pleasure, as an Alumnus, to be able to provide these internships to the current students that will further contribute to their holistic development.” The funds are donated by the KGPian through his Guru Krupa Foundation (GKF) www.guru-krupa.org

 

Mukund Padmanabhan received a BS in Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering from IIT Kharagpur in 1997, and a MS (1989) and PhD (1992) in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles. After UCLA, he worked in the area of speech recognition at the IBM T. J. Watson Research Lab where he managed the Advanced Telephony Speech Algorithms group. After IBM, he pivoted to Wall Street and is currently a partner and researcher at hedge fund Renaissance Technologies in New York. He is the founder and president of the US-based private charitable foundation, the Guru Krupa Foundation that supports the scholarships for research internships for IIT Kharagpur students. Dr. Padmanabhan is the recipient of the Professional Achievement Award from the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering in the year 2019 and the Distinguished Alumnus Award 2021 from IIT Kharagpur.

 

Manav Nitin Kapadnis, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Kharagpur and one of the recipient of this prestigious scholarship remarked, “As a student pursuing my passion for advancing the field of Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing, I was granted the remarkable opportunity to work on improving ChatGPT during my internship at Inria Paris. This invaluable experience has not only broadened my academic horizons but has also provided me with practical knowledge and exposure to cutting-edge research in my field. The financial support provided by GKF has been instrumental in making this transformative journey a reality. The scholarship enabled me to cover the expenses associated with my visit to Paris, including travel, accommodation, and living costs. During my internship at Inria Paris, I had the privilege of collaborating with esteemed researchers and professionals in the field. The opportunity to work alongside experts in the area of natural language processing has been both humbling and inspiring. The guidance and mentorship I received have contributed significantly to my growth as a researcher and have fuelled my passion for advancing the boundaries of AI technologies. I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to the Guru Krupa Foundation for their unwavering commitment to promoting educational and research opportunities for students like me.”

Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur also congratulated the recipients saying, “The scholarship has opened doors to new possibilities and played an instrumental role in shaping the future trajectory of meritorious students. This kind of scholarship inspires the students to pursue their passion and gives them a practical notion about research development and implementation of ideas in terms of global industry expertise. I am thankful to Dr. Mukund Padmanabhan for being such a thoughtful person and his act of generosity that transcended into such inclusive student welfare activity.”

Shrey Gogia, Department of Physics, IIT Kharagpur and one of the recipient of this prestigious scholarship remarked, “I am truly grateful to be a recipient of the IIT Kharagpur Foundation Scholarship 2023, conferred by the IITKGP Foundation USA. This scholarship has enabled me to pursue a research internship at one of the leading scientific organisations in Europe – l’Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris, France. My experience here would be essential for my development towards becoming an accomplished physicist by providing exposure to frontier research. I thank the selection committee for this honor. I am also grateful for the generosity of our alumni for establishing this scholarship.”

Apart from the above scholarship, 15 students from departments of Agricultural and Food Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Biotechnology, Aerospace Engineering and Electrical Engineering from IIT Kharagpur have also been awarded the IIT Kharagpur Foundation Scholarship 2023 funded by IITKGP Foundation USA. IITKGP USA Foundation connects KGP Alumni with their alma mater in the US and Canada with the purpose to facilitate and enhance connection and devotion to their alma mater. Their participation takes place by aiding in the development and improvement of IIT KGP by the endowment of funds and extending support towards institutional development, student welfare and community development around the KGP campus.

 

 

IIT Madras raises a Historic high of Rs. 231 Crore from Alumni, Corporates & Donors in 2022-23

Key areas that attracted Alumni and Industry funding include technology-driven social initiatives in energy, environment, health and education besides collaborating for research under CSR

 

CHENNAI, 19^th June 2023: Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) along with its associated entities, has raised a historic amount of Rs. 231 crore in funding from alumni, industry and individual donors during the financial year 2022-23. This is the highest amount of funding raised in one financial year by the Institute for implementing socially-relevant projects.

The fundraising has recorded a year-on-year growth of 76 per cent  vis a vis Rs. 131 Cr in FY22). The number of donors giving over Rs. 1 Crore to the Institute has increased by 64 per cent from the previous year.

The total funds raised has grown at a CAGR of 45% over the last 10 years.. The funds were raised from alumni and individual philanthropists in addition to CSR funds and grants from Indian as well as Multinational Corporate firms.

 IIT MADRAS FUNDRAISING DATA

2020-21	2021-22	2022-23
Rs. 101.2 Cr	Rs. 131 Cr	Rs. 231 Cr

Alumni and individual donors across India and globally alone contributed nearly Rs. 96 crore for the development of the Institute. Their focus areas included cutting-edge research across various social impact themes, infrastructure, scholarships for students, besides establishing Chair Professorships for research in specific areas. The last year also witnessed contributions coming in through batch reunions, some of which could not happen earlier due to the pandemic.

Thanking the Alumni and Industry for their generous contributions, Prof. Mahesh Panchagnula, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Madras, said, “We are humbled by the outpouring of love and affection from the alumni of IIT Madras towards their alma mater. Year over year, the support of alumni and corporate philanthropy has been a crucial ingredient of our success on the global stage. We shall strive to take IIT Madras to even greater heights with their continuing support in the coming years.”

The CSR segment witnessed a 56 per cent growth from the previous year with addition of 40 new partnerships in just the last year alone. The sectors that attracted top attention from donors include technology-driven initiatives in energy, environment, health and education besides collaborations for research under CSR.

IIT Madras has a professionally-managed, dedicated team at the Office of Institutional Advancement, that spearheads its fundraising activities. The team works with corporate firms, alumni, and donors to raise funds for the Institute. In the coming years, the Institute is looking to enhance its fundraising initiatives to undertake more projects to address societal issues.

Elaborating how the social projects of the Institute benefit the country, Mr. Kaviraj Nair, Chief Executive Officer, Office of Institutional Advancement, IIT Madras, said, “The Office of Institutional Advancement helps create enduring assets for the institute through collaborations with alumni, foundations, and corporate organizations. Our benefactors enable us to build interdisciplinary Centers of Excellence focused on developing and deploying new technologies in socially-relevant realms like healthcare, climate change, energy, skill development, and agriculture. They also provide financial assistance to needy students through scholarships and fellowships.”

Mr. Kaviraj Nair further added, “Alumni support may take the form of domain and technical expertise, professional networks, or financial resources. Alumni contribute to improving the overall infrastructure on the campus, such as the construction of innovation hubs, indoor sports complexes, or the purchase of electric buses for campus transportation. We also work extensively with our alumni to create a world-class startup ecosystem associated with IIT Madras. I take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to all our supporters, and I hope that the institute will  forge stronger partnerships in the years to come.”

Till date, projects belonging to 94 faculty members have been supported through CSR funding, pertaining to various social impact sectors including education, health, water and sanitation, energy, environment, agriculture and sustainable housing, among others.

The key fundraising goals of the Institute for the current financial year of 2023-24 include strengthening the alumni fundraising team in India and in the U.S. to further penetrate the alumni segment.

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