Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur: Standard Chartered Bank First Entity to Fund Ventilator Prototype by IIT Kanpur

The fund will go towards developing and testing the prototype for quick availability to hospitals treating patients of COVID-19

Standard Chartered Bank has come forward as the first entity to support an indigenized, affordable, portable and invasive ventilator prototype being developed by IIT Kanpur and its incubated company Nocca Robotics along with the Indian Angel Network. Standard Chartered Bank has approved a generous CSR funding that will be used for research and development of the prototype, followed by testing of the device and clinical trials.

“We are extremely grateful to Standard Chartered Bank for enabling our efforts towards fighting this global pandemic through their generous funding. Given the urgency of proper and ample healthcare facilities at this time for patients of COVID-19, this fund will help us in the timely roll-out of the device swiftly and in time,” said Professor Abhay Karandikar, Director, IIT Kanpur. He hopes and wishes this gesture by Standard Chartered Bank will motivate other corporates to come forward to assist IIT Kanpur in its research efforts to mitigate the impact of this global pandemic.

Karuna Bhatia, Head of Sustainability, Standard Chartered Bank, said, “As a socially responsible bank which has been in the country for over 160 years, we decided to contribute in this common fight against COVID-19 and ensure a safe and healthy environment for our citizens and communities.”

The ventilator design has been conceptualized by Nocca Robotics in such a way that it can be manufactured on a large scale at multiple sites using materials easily available with Indian suppliers and manufacturers. The ventilator is also capable of working with medical airline and oxygen as well as ambient air and oxygen, thus making it usable in a variety of different conditions.

The ventilator will also be connected to a mobile phone to control the device and monitor critical information. Since it will require very low wattage to run, it can be powered using solar panels.

It is also noteworthy that the ventilator will be priced at a fraction of the cost proposed by competitors across the world developing similar devices. Also, as opposed to the non-invasive ventilators being currently developed, this design will be of the invasive kind, keeping in mind the needs of COVID-19 patients for respiratory support.

Nocca Robotics and IIT Kanpur have created a consortium of biomedical engineers, doctors, R&D leaders, supply chain and MedTech businesses to harness their expertise and take the design from the idea to the actual product. The entire project is being coordinated by Prof. Amitabha Bandyopadhyay, Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering and Professor-in-Charge, Startup Innovation & Incubation Center Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur

About IIT Kanpur

IIT Kanpur, an institute of national importance, was set up in 1959 and is currently celebrating its Diamond Jubilee. The Institute’s 40,000+ alumni are experts and visionaries in various fields and many of them occupy leading positions all over the globe.

The Institute has a strong focus on research and innovation as is set out in its vision statement “To create, disseminate and translate knowledge in science, engineering and allied disciplines that will best serve the society”. The Institute’s Startup Innovation & Incubation Center supports startups and encourages the spirit of innovation amongst the students of IIT Kanpur by providing guidance, access to infrastructure facilities and funding.

With over 20 departments and inter-disciplinary programs, IIT Kanpur has a long history of supporting promising research and encourages its faculty and students, to undertake meaningful research and contribute to society.

The faculty members at IIT Kanpur have been recipients of several national and international awards including Padma Shri, Fulkerson Prize, Goedel Prize, Member of US National Academy, Infosys Prize, Humboldt Research Award, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award, TWAS Prize, National J.C. Bose Fellowship,  Fellowships of National Academy of Sciences (NASc), Indian National Science Academy (INSA), Indian Academy of Science (IASc), Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE),.

For more information, visit https://www.iitk.ac.in

About Standard Chartered, India

Standard Chartered Bank is one of India’s largest international bank with 100 branches in 43 cities, and they have been operating In India since 1858. Key business segments include Corporate & Institutional Banking, Commercial & Private Banking as well as Retail Banking. For more information, visit https://www.sc.com/in/