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."

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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.

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"We trust that this benefaction will encourage gifted students from developing countries, who might otherwise not have considered Cambridge, to apply to Christ's."