The head of one of India's largest pharmaceutical companies has established a £250,000 bursary scheme to help students from developing countries to study at Cambridge University, writes Paul Hill.
Yusuf Hamied, chairman and managing director of Cipla, has set up a bursary to help overseas students who wish to study natural sciences at Christ's College.
Dr Hamied's company pioneered the manufacture of cost-effective treatments to counteract the Aids virus. He studied natural sciences at Christ's in the mid-1950s and took his PhD at the college in 1960.
Dr Hamied said: "I was one of the fortunate ones who had the opportunity to study at Christ's College and I want to enable others, who, like me, come from developing countries, to have an excellent education that will make a difference to their lives and hopefully to their countries."
Elizabeth Norris, a fellow and development director at Christ's, said:
"Christ's is delighted that the Yusuf Hamied science bursaries have been established. It is important that students from all backgrounds are given the opportunity to study at the top universities.
"We trust that this benefaction will encourage gifted students from developing countries, who might otherwise not have considered Cambridge, to apply to Christ's."