THE establishment of the nations eighth Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Hyderabad) at Yeddumailaram this academic year is a feather in the districts cap. Though it is temporarily located in the residential campus of the Ordnance Factory, about 40 km from Hyderabad, it will have its own campus in another four years at Kandi on National Highway-9. The government has already acquired the land for this. The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development plans to spend Rs.1,800 crore for the development of the IIT in the first three years; the State government has also promised funds.
Within five months of its establishment, the IIT signed a collaborative agreement with Japan. The other new IITs at Bhubaneswar, Patna, Punjab, Rajasthan and Ahmedabad that were started along with Hyderabad, are yet to find international partners. The agreement, which will come into effect in April, provides for exchange of professors, students and industry experts and grant of equipment and cooperation in the areas of nanotechnology, telecommunications, energy and environment, manufacturing and civil engineering.
The main focus will be on development of laboratories and other research facilities in the IIT, says Prof. C.V.R. Murthy, IIT Co-Chair. Though it is not new for Japan to work closely with educational institutions in India, this is the first time it is involved in such a large scale. The students of IIT Hyderabad would also have the choice of pursuing internships and research in private companies or government organisations in Japan. Similarly, faculties of both countries would have the advantage of taking up joint research projects of common interest, Murthy said.
R. Avadhani
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