In its golden jubilee year the highly respected Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M, estb.1959) is clearing the decks for major expansion and launching several unprecedented academic and research initiatives. On the cards is the inauguration of India’s first research park linked to an academic institute at the end of the year, launch of a satellite campus, promotion of a department of medicine, and publication of an international science and technology journal.
The eventful year-long golden jubilee celebrations which kicked off on July 31, also include hosting 12 international science conferences; a publishing initiative to produce 35 volumes; establishing centres of excellence in telecommunications, nanotechnology, bioprocess technology and sustainable development; introducing new postgraduate programmes in clinical engineering and medical instrumentation (from 2008), nuclear technology, petroleum technology and food technology (2009); hosting a pan-IIT alumni meet and special editions of IIT-M’s annual academic and cultural festivals, Shaastra and Saarang.
For the benefit of the institute’s 5,000 students housed in its sylvan and tranquil campus in Guindy, the entry point to Chennai from the suburbs, the institute’s management plans to modernise their activity centre, construct a new indoor sports complex and a centre for innovation. Moreover, to commemorate its strong association with the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), which initially funded IIT-M in a phased manner over a period of 13 years with a grant of Rs.100 million Deutsche Marks, IIT-M has invited the German federal minister for education, Dr. Annette Schavan, who together with Union minister for science and technology Kapil Sibal, will inaugurate a new centre for sustainable development. The centre will be jointly funded by Germany and the Union HRD ministry.
“Technology innovation and competitiveness are the main drivers of the economic growth of nations in today’s globalised world. Innovative breakthroughs worldwide happen in university-centred research parks generously supported by governments in developed countries, as also in China which is currently building 100 such parks. IIT-M will establish India’s first university research park at a project cost of Rs.300 crore. The project will be funded by an interest free loan of Rs.100 crore from the Union HRD ministry, a Rs.75 crore long-term loan from Canara Bank, and from rental income from corporates working with us on breakthrough research initiatives,” says Dr. M.S. Ananth, director of IIT-M.
Work on the IIT-M Research Park, which will feature a 12-storey building set in an 11.43 acre site adjoining the institute campus, has begun. The ground and first floors will house incubators (start-ups) to encourage entrepreneurship in students, while transit accommodation will be provided to visitors by the Tata group’s low cost Ginger hotel chain. Most of the space between the second and tenth floors has already been rented by reputable corporates engaged in engineering and technology research. A prerequisite of corporates planting their flag in the IIT-M Research Park is that they collaborate with the institute in all their activities, projects, consultancy and sponsorship of MS and Ph D students.
“We are co-locating high-end R&D personnel from corporates who have the experience of developing and marketing academic ideas with IIT-M faculty and students, so that they can work together on breakthrough innovation projects. And unlike research parks in the California bay area and others, which are focused on start-ups, our focus is on large companies who have the money for R&D. Hence we have devoted only a small portion of the park to start-ups,” says Dr. Sandhya Shekhar, chief executive officer of IIT-M Research Park.
Even as the IIT-M management has drawn up ambitious institutional development plans for the future, its feet are firmly on the ground. It is acutely aware of infrastructure and environmental dangers which could ground its high flying ambitions. “The best graduate schools in the West are enriched by a mix of high quality students and faculty from around the world. Therefore we plan to make it easy for foreign postgrad students to study and research at IIT-M, and will strive to bring at least 10 percent of our faculty from abroad. Moreover we want to be left to govern ourselves and prefer the benign neglect of the HRD ministry, as it gives us the freedom to experiment and innovate,” says Ananth.
Surely not an unreasonable request.
Hemalatha Raghupathi (Chennai)