Texas Instruments and IIT Kharagpur to collaborate on breakthrough medical technology research

Research projects to lay the foundation for a new generation of cancer diagnostics systems and health care monitoring

Kolkata, April 1, 2008 – Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE: TXN) has signed a collaborative agreement with the School of Medical Science and Technology (SMST), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, to develop semiconductor technologies that will help improve the quality, comfort and accessibility of health care. 

This is the first time that TI has partnered with any IIT in India on research projects devoted to medical electronics innovation.  The announcement was made here today by Dr. Biswadip (Bobby) Mitra, Managing Director, Texas Instruments India, and Professor Ajoy Kumar Ray, Head – SMST, IIT Kharagpur.

TI works with medical device customers across the globe to make quality health care more accessible to more people.   In September 2007, the company announced that it would invest a total of $15 million to fund medical technology research at selected universities worldwide with a focus on quality, accessibility and affordability.  TI’s goal in supporting this research is to help develop new semiconductor technologies for personal medical devices, implantables, medical imaging, wireless healthcare systems and bio-sensor technology.  The TI-IIT Kharagpur research collaboration is a part of this effort.

The collaboration also reflects TI’s commitment to engineering education and developing the next generation of innovators.   The research projects TI is funding at IIT Kharagpur will be undertaken by students holding B. Tech, M. Tech, M. Stats or M. Sc (Physics or Mathematics) degrees with specializations in image processing, neural networks and pattern recognition, digital signal processor-based embedded system design, and MEMS-based bio-sensors.  These students, to be selected by IIT Kharagpur, will register for a MS/PhD program under the TI-SMST Research Scheme.

“Together, TI and IIT Kharagpur have the opportunity to help improve the quality of life for millions of people around the world,” said Dr. Mitra.  “In India alone, about 800,000 patients undergo coronary bypass surgery every year; one in every 12 women develops breast cancer.  Also, oral leukoplakia and oral sub-mucous fibrosis have been widely prevalent in India and are a cause for concern to scientists in the country. The TI-IIT Kharagpur technology partnership will enable devices that could help address some of these pressing healthcare issues.”

Kent Novak, Vice President and Manager of TI’s Medical and High-Reliability business unit said, “All of us at TI are excited about this partnership with IIT Kharagpur, which has the research capabilities, commitment, enthusiasm and insight to help us develop semiconductor technologies that will make a difference in the medical area.  With our expertise in analog and digital signal processing and the university’s research strength and ability to bring together and develop new ideas, this will be a powerful partnership.”

“The Advanced Technology Center in IIT Kharagpur is equipped with basic facilities and infrastructure for undertaking research projects in silicon-based microelectronics,” said Prof. Ray.  “We are excited about this association with TI, a company globally acknowledged for its strides in semiconductor research and development, and we are confident that this partnership is an important step towards developing solutions to help people with cancer and heart ailments in this country.”

About Texas Instruments:

Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) helps customers solve problems and develop new electronics that make the world smarter, healthier, safer, greener and more fun.  A global semiconductor company, TI innovates through manufacturing, design and sales operations in more than 25 countries.  For more information, go to www.ti.com.

About SMST, IIT Kharagpur:

The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, in the year of its Golden Jubilee in 2001, established the School of Medical Science & Technology.  This is the first and only school in India to train medical doctors in the field of technology.

About IIT Kharagpur:

The first Indian Institute of Technology was set up in May 1950 in Hijli, Kharagpur, in the eastern part of India. IIT Kharagpur started its journey in the old Hijli Detention Camp where freedom fighters toiled and sacrificed their lives for the independence of India.

From this modest beginning, IIT Kharagpur has been engaged in a steady process of development with about 18 academic departments and five centers of excellence. The Institute’s vast tree-laden campus, spreading over 2100 acres, has a self-contained township of over 15,000 inhabitants. Currently the Institute has about 450 faculty members, 2200 employees and 2700 students on the campus. The Institute offers courses in various faculties of engineering and is recognized as a premier technology school across the world.