IIT Indore Launches New Schools Focused on Sustainability and Biomedical Engineering: A Vision for the Future

In a groundbreaking move to address some of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore has announced the launch of two innovative academic schools. These new additions — the Mehta Family School of Sustainability and the Mehta Family School of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering — are poised to revolutionize education and research in the fields of sustainability and healthcare. The launch comes in collaboration with the Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta Family Foundation (MFF), marking a significant leap toward integrating cutting-edge technology and interdisciplinary knowledge to address global challenges.

The Mehta Family School of Sustainability: A New Approach to Environmental Challenges

At the heart of IIT Indore’s commitment to sustainable development is the Mehta Family School of Sustainability. This school will introduce a first-of-its-kind undergraduate program that integrates Environmental Economics with Sustainable Engineering, preparing students to tackle the world’s most pressing environmental issues. This multidisciplinary approach combines science, engineering, and economics, ensuring that students not only understand the technical aspects of sustainability but also its economic, social, and political dimensions.

Professor Suhas Joshi, Director of IIT Indore, emphasized the importance of this initiative, highlighting how the Mehta Family School of Sustainability will offer three specialized postgraduate programs and a PhD track. The aim is to graduate over 400 students and train more than 1,000 professionals in executive master's and doctoral programs.

Students will gain hands-on experience through collaborative projects with industry leaders, government bodies, academia, and civil society. This will equip them with the knowledge and skills to devise actionable solutions to complex sustainability challenges. With India’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this program is timely and poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of sustainable development in India and beyond.

Biomedical Engineering: Revolutionizing Healthcare with Cutting-Edge Technologies

The Mehta Family School of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering will focus on creating a new generation of professionals capable of innovating in the biomedical space. The undergraduate program will specialize in medical devices, clinical data analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI) for healthcare applications. Students will be trained to apply these technologies to revolutionize healthcare delivery, making medical treatments more accessible, efficient, and effective.

The program’s curriculum will combine biology, engineering, and data science, providing students with a solid foundation in all three areas. The school plans to offer three postgraduate programs, focusing on biotechnology, biomedical engineering, and medical devices. There will also be a PhD track for students wishing to engage in advanced research.

One of the unique features of the biomedical program is the integration of clinical immersion in prestigious medical institutions like AIIMS Bhopal and MGM Medical College Indore. This will offer students firsthand experience in clinical settings, enhancing their ability to develop practical, real-world solutions to healthcare challenges. Furthermore, students will benefit from access to Breakerspace and Makerspace labs, where they can prototype and test their ideas.

IIT Indore aims to train over 500 students in the next five years, with a target of 1,500 students within a decade. The school’s focus on project-based learning and its partnership with leading medical institutions will ensure that graduates are ready to make an impact in the fast-evolving biomedical field.

Research and Innovation: A Hub for Biomedical Advancements

One of the most exciting aspects of the new biomedical school is its emphasis on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a global healthcare challenge. The school will position itself as a leading research hub for AMR, focusing on diseases like tuberculosis, which continue to be a significant health threat in India and other parts of the world. Through its partnership with seven universities across Central India, the school aims to contribute to the global fight against antimicrobial resistance by fostering innovative research and solutions.

The biomedical school also plans to establish a biomanufacturing hub in Central India. This hub will focus on the production of smart proteins, enzyme design, and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), which are crucial for the development of new therapies and medicines. It will serve as a platform for student training and industry-oriented research, bridging the gap between academia and the pharmaceutical industry.

The biomanufacturing hub will operate in alignment with Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) 3 to 7, which focus on developing technologies from experimental proof of concept to prototype demonstration in real-world settings. This ensures that the research and innovations emerging from the hub are not just theoretical but also have practical applications.

A Broader Vision: Collaborative Efforts and Global Impact

IIT Indore’s expansion into these two new fields aligns with its broader vision of becoming a center of excellence in interdisciplinary research and education. The institution is not working in isolation; it is committed to collaborating with industry partners, government agencies, academic institutions, and civil society to create a robust ecosystem that promotes knowledge exchange and accelerates the implementation of sustainable and healthcare-related solutions.

The Mehta Family Foundation, which has been instrumental in the establishment of these new schools, has already made its mark in the academic landscape through several initiatives across India. It has previously supported the creation of the Mehta Family School of Data Science & AI at IIT Guwahati and IIT Roorkee, and the Mehta Family School of Health Sciences & Technology at IIT Kanpur.

The launch of these two new schools at IIT Indore signifies a continuation of the Mehta Family Foundation’s commitment to advancing education and research in critical areas that have a long-lasting impact on society.

Conclusion: A New Era for Education and Innovation

The launch of the Mehta Family School of Sustainability and the Mehta Family School of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering at IIT Indore marks a significant step toward shaping the future of education in India. These new schools are not just about imparting knowledge; they are about creating solutions for some of the most critical challenges facing humanity today.