Bengaluru-based entrepreneur, wife offered ₹105 crore. IISc to set up Center for Public Health

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Quess Corp founder and chairman Ajit Isaac and his wife Sara Isaac to set up a public health center on its campus. He has committed ₹105 crore for the centre, which will be called the Isaac Center for Public Health (ICPH). It will be located in the Academic and Research Block of IISc Medical School and will be spread over 27,000 square feet.

The center will soon be part of a postgraduate medical school to be set up on the campus. Earlier this year, philanthropic couple Sushmita and Subroto Bagchi, and Radha and NS Parthasarathy donated ₹425 crore to IISc to set up a postgraduate medical college and 800-bed multi-specialty hospital at its Bengaluru campus.

The goal of the centre, which is expected to be operational by 2024, is to encourage aspirants to pursue a career in clinical research, said a statement from Quess Corp.

“A strong nation is built not only on education and employment but also on healthy public health. And the responsibility of building a healthy future cannot be on the government alone,” Mr Isaacs said.

IISc Director Govindan Rangarajan underlined the need for a world-class center for clinical and academic research in public health in India. The proposed center will interface with all departments of the Medical School at IISc as well as other science and engineering departments in the context of public health research. It will also create a space for health data science and analysis with international counterparts such as the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Prof. Rangarajan said.

According to a statement, the center will offer dual degree programs such as Masters of Public Health (MPH)-PhD (5-6 years) and Masters of Public Health (MPH)-MTech Research (3 years). With a steady-state student population of approximately 40 over time the annual student intake would be 10 per year.