IIT Madras launches IITM Global as a Multinational University

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras has launched IITM Global, a new international research and innovation platform aimed at positioning the institute as a multinational university. 

The initiative was unveiled on the IIT Madras campus by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar as part of the institute’s broader push to scale its global academic, research, and startup footprint.

IITM Global is designed as a dedicated vehicle to expand IIT Madras’s presence in international markets by enabling collaboration across research, industry, startups, and talent mobility, while also channeling global projects, partnerships, and capital back into India.

As part of the rollout, IIT Madras has signed multiple memorandums of understanding (MoUs) across key geographies. 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 partnerships under the India-for-Global initiative.

The partnerships will focus on joint research programmes, startup and industry collaboration, global talent exchange, and the commercialisation of deep tech research.

V Kamakoti, director of IIT Madras, IITM Global will operate through a four-pronged approach. It will initially establish a presence in five locations, including the United States, Dubai, Malaysia, and Germany, with expansion to additional countries planned based on outcomes and demand.

The platform has been structured as a plug-and-play framework, allowing researchers, startups, and industry partners to access global research infrastructure, markets, and funding without setting up independent overseas entities. Officials said this model is intended to remain scalable while balancing international engagement with domestic execution.

IITM Global will focus on priority domains aligned with IIT Madras’s research strengths, including data science and artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cybersecurity and blockchain, space technology, advanced mobility, energy and water sustainability, health technology, and green technologies.

IIT Madras has consistently ranked first in India’s National Institutional Ranking Framework and features among leading Asian universities in global rankings. In 2023, it became the first IIT to establish an international campus in Zanzibar, Tanzania.

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