IIT Delhi Team to Visit Abu Dhabi to Discuss Setting up of Off-Shore Campus

New Delhi: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi’s high-level team of faculty members is all set to visit Abu Dhabi this month to discuss plans for the first IIT campus in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Hon’ble Education Minister Shri @dpradhanbjp is addressing the inauguration ceremony of IInvenTiv, a first ever mega Research & Development Fair of all 23 IITs at @iitdelhi. https://t.co/bJIj7YkSAo
— Ministry of Education (@EduMinOfIndia) October 14, 2022

According to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), the IIT Delhi Team’s visit was finalised on the sidelines of a two-day event of all 23 IITs in India to commemorate the 75th year of India’s Independence.

India’s Minister for Education and Skill Development, Dharmendra Pradhan, spoke about future plans for IITs at the event. “Technology will drive the next phase of growth and development with information technology and communications technology among the front-runners. Our IITs should seize this opportunity,” he said.

The proposal to set up an IIT campus in the UAE was announced in principle on February 18 this year. Since then, the two sides have been in contact to work out the modalities of following up the proposal. The IIT in Delhi has a small team stationed in Abu Dhabi map out implementation of the proposal, the two-day event here was briefed.

As per media reports, teams from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were in New Delhi this month to study the model followed by IIT-D while also holding talks with teachers and students.

Professor V Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, told local media that overseas expansion of IITs has been put on the “fast track” and hopes to open the Abu Dhabi campus along with the ones in Malaysia and Tanzania within one year.

Only 20 percent of students in the overseas IIT campuses will be Indians while the remaining seats will be set apart for local students, according to a recommendation by a committee of experts to the IIT Council Standing Committee.

Read more: