IIT Madras plans to expand globally to Tanzania, Lanka and Nepal

The government is planning to set up IIT Madras' offshore campus in Tanzania and it also received requests for setting up offshore campuses in Sri Lanka, Nepal and other African countries.

The Indian government is planning that the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Madras should have a presence on the world map through its offshore campuses. The options it has for establishing centres outside the country are Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Nepal and other African countries.

IIT Madras Director Prof V Kamakoti told The Indian Express that apart from Tanzania and other African countries, IIT Madras has also received requests from Sri Lanka and Nepal for campuses to offer courses in emerging areas such as data sciences and artificial intelligence as well as energy systems.

“IIT Madras is in discussions with multiple countries, including Tanzania, regarding offshore campuses. We are considering many of these places. For African countries, programmes in mining are very important. In Nepal, there are demands for courses on energy systems. Courses in data sciences are in demand everywhere,” Prof Kamakoti said.

“We are looking at what sort of courses can be offered. There may be some country-specific courses on offer, as for some countries, some topics can be of relevance. We will be arriving at different models based on feasibility, and employment potential in those countries,” Prof Kamakoti added.

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A 16-member committee — headed by IIT Council standing committee chairperson Dr K Radhakrishnan made these recommendations in a draft report. Prof Kamakoti was among the seven IIT directors on the Radhakrishnan committee. The discussions are underway to figure out if individual IITs should make forays abroad, or if multiple IITs should jointly attempt to do so. Efforts are also being made to study the market demand in some of the countries which have placed requests for getting offshore campuses of indian institutions.

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