Snapshots of IIT Madras achievements in 2016

Snapshots of IIT Madras achievements in 2016 

IIT Madras witnessed a year of growth, exemplary recognition and outstanding research from both faculty and scholars in 2016.

It has been a successful year with many firsts.

“Our Strategic Plan 2014-2020 has enabled us to prioritize our focus on various objectives and progress towards our targets, said Prof. BhaskarRamamurthi, Director, IIT Madras, whose term was extended for another five years in 2016.

Some snapshots of our achievements in 2016 are listed below:

IIT Madras ranked #1 in National Institutional Ranking Framework

IIT Madras has been ranked No.1 among Engineering Institutes in the Country, in the very first edition of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), developed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. The ranking is based on a comprehensive evaluation of several metrics ranging from teaching to research, and from industry academia linkages to diversity and outreach.

Higher uptake of PhD’s and Masters’ students this year

An ever-increasing number of Masters’ students are discovering the excitement of research at IITM. During 2015-16, a total of 90 students upgraded to the PhD programme, while 59 high achievers were admitted to it directly after their Bachelors’ degrees. A further 40 industry professionals also enrolled for their Ph.Ds, indicating a healthy growth in our industry interaction.

IIT Madras leads in Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) courses conducted this year

Students of IIT Madras and other institutions have benefited greatly from the introduction of the MHRD Program on ‘Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN)’ from this year. The GIAN program has enabled the visit of eminent researchers and academicians from abroad to the Institute for teaching short-duration intensive courses and for interactions on collaborative research with faculty and research students. So far, around 90 GIAN courses have been conducted at IIT Madras and several more are lined up for 2017. Among the GIAN participating institutes, IIT Madras leads with the maximum number of GIAN courses conducted in the year 2016.

Joint Doctorate Programs with international academic institutions

Our ever-expanding transnational collaborations have resulted in the formalization of six Joint Doctorate Programs (JDP) with Deakin University, Queensland University of Technology, University of Duisburg-Essen, University of Technology Sydney, and Curtin University, taking the total number of JDPs to twelve. IIT Madras has also signed a Joint Supervision Program with University of Sydney.

Transformational research at IIT Madras

IIT Madras continues to demonstrate its potential for translating research performed developed at its Centres of Excellence to products that impact lives of the common man. Many of the technologies developed at IITM, in the areas of power, water, housing, healthcare, transport are all set to enable meet India’s vision 2022 and Smart Cities agenda. Some of them include:

- The disruptive solar-DC technology developed by the Centre for Decentralised Power Systems, promises to brighten the lives of the 300 million Indians who have no access to assured electric supply even today. The technology has recently helped in providing lighting, fans and TV sets cost effectively to homes in several far flung villages in Rajasthan.

- The Healthcare Technology Innovation Centre (HTIC) has been continuing to develop healthcare technologies that are of immense use to the society at large. This year HTIC has designed and developed in partnership with J. Mitra and Co. (P) Ltd., an indigenous desktop point-of-care diagnostic instrument for rapid quantitative testing of key blood markers for diabetes, cardiac and vitamin disorders. The objective is to make these blood tests affordable and accessible to tier 2 / tier 3 laboratories and clinics.

- The Center of Excellence for Wireless Technology (CEWiT) of IIT Madras is spearheading a multi institutional effort to develop 5G wireless technologies contribute to global standardization efforts and address the challenges of India’s digital divide.

Industry-academia collaboration for research has seen exemplary growth in 2016

IIT Madras has always given importance to industry collaborations and industry-funded projects, which have enabled us to commercialize our products and technologies. In 2015-16, 110 sponsored projects for a total value of Rs. 200.71 crores and 501 consultancy assignments amounting to Rs.71.15 crores have been sanctioned. During the year 73 MoUs have been signed with various entities such as Cancer Research and Relief Trust, Sterlite Technologies Ltd., Nano Holdings LLC, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.

IIT Madras national patent filings increase by 33% in 2015-2016

The Intellectual Property Management Cell has enabled filing of around 107 patents during the year, of which 14 are international patents. Sixteen patents have been granted of which 15 are international patents.

IIT Madras is a major player in theUcchatarAvishkar Yojana programme

IIT Madras is the National Coordinator of the UcchatarAvishkar Yojana (UAY) programme launched by MHRD to improve the competitive edge of industry sponsored, outcome-oriented research projects. With the largest number (23) of projects approved at a cost of Rs.100 crores, IIT Madras is all set to provide a big fillip to its industry institute interaction.

IIT Madras Research Park is the hub of entrepreneurial research

As the IIT Madras Research Park completes its sixth year of operation, it is setting new benchmarks for Industry-Academia collaboration. The second and final phase of the Research Park with 0.8 million sq.ft. of built-up area is nearing completion. With over 100 startups incubated by IITM Incubation Cell and sector specific incubators (RTBI, Bio-incubator &MedTech incubator), 100,000 sq. ft. has been allocated in Phase II to accommodate the growing number of new entrepreneurial ventures and SMEs.

Under the aegis of IITMIC and other incubators, IITM has emerged as one of the most vibrant hubs for startups in the country. Some major highlights on IITM startups: around 110 incubated till date, with a seed funding of Rs 10 crores and were able to raise about Rs 600 crores from angel investors and VCs.

2016 has been a year of momentous growth and achievements for IIT Madras. We thank the students, faculty and staff for contributing to this growth story. We look forward to 2017 with renewed vigour to accelerate our move towards achieving the Strategic Plan 2020. 

Thanks to : Thinamalar (Kalvimalar) - 29.12.2016