The strong desire of philanthropist and educationist Dr. A. Shanmugasundaram, to serve the society in general and the needy in particular paved the way for the establishment of the Thirumuruga Kirupananda Variyar Thavathiru Sundara Swamigal Medical, Educational and Charitable Trust at Salem, Tamil Nadu, India of which he is the Founder and Chairman. By his zeal, dedication and untiring effort he carved a niche for himself in the field of education in India and abroad. All through his life he has been devoting himself to the cause of education. His bold and strong conviction is that "Education is an important instrument for social change". The objective of the Trust is to render social service to the society by imparting technical and professional education. Since 1981 Vinayaka Mission's is in the field of education and its insatiable thirst for achieving excellence has taken it to greater heights of glory. In recognition of Vinayaka Mission's 'Excellence in Education', the Ministry of Human Resource and Development, Government of India, accorded the 'Deemed University' status to Vinayaka Mission's Research Foundation in the year 2001, based on the recommendations of the University Grants Commission. The Vinayaka Mission's University (Deemed University) has recently been renamed as Vinayaka Mission's Research Foundation (VMRF) following of a notification issued by the University Grants Commission.