The School of Medical Science and Technology at IIT Kharagpuron Saturday said it will launch new academic programmes from the upcoming academic session, spanning the realms of biology, medicine and engineering.

The new courses would include a 2-year M.Tech in Biomedical Engineering, primarily with a vision of giving a medically-oriented outlook to the students of other disciplines. Admission will be through GATE.

The programmes will facilitate multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches in biomedical research.

"The objective is to train students and researchers simultaneously on the principles of engineering and fundamentals of physical, chemical, mathematical and biological sciences, so as to facilitate solving outstanding problems in the medical domain," a statement said.

The School also runs a 3-year Masters in Medical Science and Technology, a unique programme of this kind, with MBBS doctors being admitted for value addition in the domain of Medical Technology. Admission will be through a national level entrance exam.

Joint MSc-PhD programmes with Tata Medical Center, Kolkata have been launched from the upcoming academic session in the areas of Molecular Medical Microbiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Physics.

"These programmes will bridge the gap between medicine, biological sciences and engineering with a roadmap to develop world-class scientists and clinicians," said Suman Chakraborty, Head, School of Medical Science and Technology, IIT Kharagpur.

IIT Kharagpur is in the process of launching a 400-bed super specialty hospital which is expected to be operational by 2019.