Jaishankar launches IIT-Madras Global, move to make institute a multinational university

Chennai, Jan 2 (PTI) Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday launched an initiative aimed at positioning the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT Madras) as the world’s first multinational IIT with campuses, research and startups abroad.

Anchored in the institute’s world-class faculty, advanced infrastructure and strong industry linkages, the initiative, IITM Global, seeks to drive innovation and entrepreneurship with a clear focus on societal impact.

IIT Madras, through this initiative, also targets to expand its global presence by enabling international research, innovation, startup engagement, and academic collaborations.

Speaking on India assisting foreign countries, Jaishankar said, "An IIT Madras Campus in Tanzania is a way by which Indian foreign policy has leveraged the capabilities of an institution here to make a huge impact" As part of the IITM Global rollout, the institute has signed a series of high-impact memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with leading multinational institutions and partners across key global regions.

These include three MoUs in the United States, one in the United Kingdom, three in Germany, three in Dubai, three across the Asia-Pacific region, including Singapore and Malaysia, and six under the India-for-Global initiative.

The partnerships are focused on joint research, industry and startup collaboration, global talent and knowledge exchange, and translating deep-tech innovation into real-world applications.

According to IIT Madras, Director V Kamakoti, IITM Global Research Foundation is a global outreach initiative of the institute, aimed at strengthening international collaborations. The initiative follows a four-pronged approach, he said.

“First, we aim to take our technologies abroad and explore opportunities for technology transfer across different countries. Second, we plan to bring projects from these nations under joint development agreements, enabling our faculty to work on and provide solutions to global challenges," Kamakoti said.

"Third, we aim to introduce our start-ups to business opportunities in these countries. Fourth, we aim to attract foreign investments into our start-ups,” he added.

These four verticals, the director said, form the core focus of IITM Global. “Initially, we are establishing a presence in five locations, including the United States, Dubai, Malaysia and Germany. Based on success, this initiative will be expanded to multiple nations," he added.

IITM Global is designed as a dynamic "plug-and-play" framework that enables deep-tech innovators, researchers, startups and industry partners to access global markets, capital and research opportunities.

By integrating local context with international engagement, the platform aims to catalyse innovation-led growth while fostering high-impact collaborations with global industry and research and development partners. PTI GJS GJS OZ OZ