Interview: Rahul Mehta of MFF on why India needs strategic philanthropy – ‘you can’t innovate without expertise’

Founded in 1996 in Houston, Texas, within the United States, by the Mehta siblings—Nisha, Rahul, Jainesh, and Dharmesh—in honour of their dad and mom Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta, the Mehta Family Foundation (MFF) is at the moment a high philanthropic power strengthening India’s information infrastructure by way of transformative investments in larger schooling.

With a agency perception that scientific and technological excellence is vital to nationwide progress, MFF companions at the moment with high IITs to ascertain interdisciplinary faculties centered on knowledge science, biosciences, AI, well being tech, and sustainability.

With over 1,400 college students presently enrolled throughout IITs at Madras, Guwahati, Roorkee, Kanpur, and Palakkad and a goal of graduating 12,000 by 2031, MFF’s collaborative mannequin goes past conventional funding. Under the management of CEO Rahul Mehta, it shapes programmes, recruits school, and aligns with lengthy-time period nationwide targets.

In India to announce two new faculties at IIT Indore on July 22, Rahul Mehta spoke to LiveMint in regards to the Mehta Family Foundation’s journey, the state of educational philanthropy in India, and the highway forward. Excerpts from the interview:

Q: Can you inform us about your background and the way the Mehta Family Foundation began?

A: I left India after I was 17. I didn’t come from a rich or extremely educated household—my dad and mom had no formal schooling. But I labored onerous, began a number of corporations, and after promoting my first one, I had more cash than I ever thought I would wish. I made a decision to start out the Foundation. I’ve all the time believed I’m only a steward of this wealth—my objective was to provide it away meaningfully.

‘Philanthropic journey focused on education’

Initially, I donated to small nonprofits, gave $500 right here, $1,000 there, even to Indian charities. But over time, I realised I wanted to determine to donate the place I felt the deepest influence. That’s when my philanthropic journey turned extra centered on schooling and establishment-constructing.

Q: What was the primary main undertaking you funded in India?

A: It began round 2005–06. On a visit to the Aurobindo Ashram, I finished at IIT Madras and had a dialog with the then-director, MS Ananth. We mentioned their imaginative and prescient, and that led to the creation of the School of Biosciences and Bioengineering—the primary such college I funded.

Later, in 2010, they returned asking for help to broaden lab area, animal hubs, and analysis infrastructure, which turned our second undertaking at IIT Madras. So we’ve supported two main initiatives there.

Q: How did you select the areas of focus—Bio, AI, Sustainability?

A: I checked out traits in US academia. By the early 2000s, half of engineering school within the US have been shifting their focus to healthcare and bio. But Indian campuses hadn’t even thought of biosciences but—they nonetheless provided solely conventional disciplines like mechanical or chemical engineering.

Similarly, I noticed that Indian establishments have been gradual to undertake AI and knowledge science. In 2018–19, I even hosted a gathering in Delhi with a number of IIT administrators to pitch knowledge science and AI faculties—nobody was . Then got here ChatGPT and all of a sudden everybody noticed its relevance. The identical is going on now with sustainability.

I havve been pushing for formal schooling on this area for the final three years. We want a brand new technology of expertise explicitly educated in sustainability.

Q: You have been speaking in regards to the 12,000 deep-tech graduates objective. What does that imply?

A: Across eight faculties we’ve funded to this point, every college sometimes contains BTech, MTech, and PhD programmes. A typical college has:

● 40–60 BTech seats per 12 months → 160–240 BTech college students at regular state

● 50–75 grasp’s college students

● 100–150 PhD college students

Every college helps round 300–400 college students. With eight faculties, that’s over 3,000 college students in regular-state enrollment—equal to the scale of a brand new IIT. If you undertaking this over 10 years, it provides as much as over 10,000–12,000 graduates, which is essential for India’s mental and innovation capability.

Q: Are these faculties built-in into current IITs or unbiased?

A: They’re built-in inside current IITs however are independently funded and branded—just like the Mehta Family School of Data Science and AI. So far, we’ve supported biosciences, AI, and sustainability faculties. Each has its personal set of school, curriculum, and college students.

Q: What is your lengthy-time period imaginative and prescient for the Foundation in India?

A: To assist India construct a essential mass of mental expertise throughout future-essential areas. For instance, one college in sustainability isn’t sufficient. We in all probability want three or 4. Public well being is one other space I’d prefer to enter. The thought is to take a look at lengthy-time period capability creation—not simply brief-time period applications.

Q: Are there particular challenges in organising these departments in India?

A: Many. The philanthropic ecosystem isn’t as mature because the West. In India, folks nonetheless ask: “Why do you want to give us money?” Universities usually don’t know write proposals.

‘Takes 18 months or more’

Even after they agree, inner processes like Senate approvals, school alignment, curriculum design—all of it takes 18 months or extra. In distinction, if I provide cash to Harvard, I get a proposal in 24 hours, and so they fly out to satisfy me.

Q: So it’s a ten+ 12 months dedication to construct every division?

A: Absolutely. From planning, curriculum design, school recruitment, to graduating the primary batch—it’s simply a decade-lengthy journey. But that’s what strategic philanthropy requires: focus, persistence, and lengthy-time period dedication.

Q: How do you assess the influence of your work—what retains you going?

A: The college students. When I go to campuses, I meet them in school rooms and ask about their lives. Most come from small cities I’ve by no means heard of. Many are the primary of their household to go to varsity. Getting a job submit-commencement adjustments their lives—and their households.

That’s what retains me going. One pupil’s transformation is sufficient to justify all the trouble. But right here, we’re speaking about 1000’s.

Q: Do you are worried about mind drain—will these college students keep in India?

A: I don’t dictate that. They ought to do what’s finest for them. But international forces are shifting—many will keep in India as a result of alternatives listed below are rising. The objective is to empower them to steer wherever they’re.

Q: Where does India stand within the innovation economic system at the moment?

A: We’re simply starting. Our innovation capability has to scale massively. Take healthcare—MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston, US, has extra most cancers researchers than all of India mixed. In battery tech, China and the US are far forward. We should construct deep expertise swimming pools in these sectors to compete. You can’t innovate without expertise.

Q: And the place do you see philanthropy in India going from right here?

A: It’s getting higher. Compared to 2006, folks are actually extra welcoming, extra appreciative. But strategic philanthropy continues to be uncommon. Many need fast wins—whereas actual influence, like constructing educational establishments, takes 15–20 years. You have to choose one mission and persist with it. That’s what we’re doing.