SIIC IIT Kanpur, Boehringer Ingelheim collaborate to support dementia care innovation

The Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC) at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Boehringer Ingelheim India, to advance solutions in the field of dementia care. 

The Boehringer Ingelheim India team, comprising Gagandeep Singh Bedi, MD and, Prabhat Sinha, Director of Government and Public Affairs, Corporate Affairs, visited SIIC, IIT Kanpur, to strengthen their partnership in fostering healthcare innovations. The MoU was exchanged between Ankush Sharma, Professor-in-Charge, SIIC, IIT Kanpur, and Gagandeep Singh Bedi, MD Boehringer Ingelheim India.

Boehringer Ingelheim’s grant supports Manastik Technologies, an SIIC-incubated startup at IIT Kanpur, in developing India’s first tele-neurorehabilitation app for dementia care and diagnosis. Using DADT technology, the app offers personalised assistance from doctors and neurohealthcare professionals, addressing the growing burden of dementia and mental health disorders in India. The grant will help validate the app, raise awareness, and support nationwide dementia screening campaigns. Previously, in 2023, Boehringer Ingelheim supported Lenek Technologies, another SIIC-incubated startup, in improving Tuberculosis screening with a handheld X-ray device. 

According to the Global Burden of Disease Study in 2019, India ranked as the fourth largest contributor to the global burden of dementia. Projections suggest that by 2050, India will surpass Japan and the USA to claim the second-highest number of dementia cases globally. This collaboration addresses the growing challenge of dementia in India.