Japan to collaborate with IIT-Hyderabad

DESARAJU SURYA
Hyderabad: The Government of Japan has come forward to participate in the formation of Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad through academic, technical and financial collaboration. “This Indo-Japan collaboration will be one of the unique strengths of IIT-H. The institute will also leverage the local presence of a wide-range of research and development laboratories and companies, both government and private, in the region. In addition, we are exploring the potential of substantial technical collaboration and support from Japan,” acting director of IIT-H M S Ananth has said. “This will give IIT-H a unique DNA,” he observed. Infrastructure for the II T-H would be built on a sprawling 523-acre site at Kandi village abutting the National Highway-9 in Medak district of Andhra Pradesh at a cost of Rs 600 crore over the next ten years. The IIT-H is about 50-km from Hyderabad city. A master plan for the permanent campus is currently under preparation, according to Ananth, who is also the director of IIT-Madras. Satyam Computers former chairman B Ramalinga Raju launched the academic programme for the first batch of 111 IIT-H students on August 19, 2008 at the temporary campus on the Ordnance Factory premises. “Construction of buildings and other infrastructure will begin after July after the master plan is finalized. The institute will be developed in phases over the next ten years with the first set of buildings expected to be completed in the next two years,” Ananth said. The IIT-H has currently been running the academic programmes in three streams – electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and computer science and engineering. The second batch of students joining in the 2009-10 academic year too would be housed in the temporary campus, Ananth added. “Pushing Frontiers” is the tagline of IIT-H. "It is the vision of the institute that, as it endeavours to push the frontiers in engineering research and teaching, it will set new standards in engineering practice in India and contribute actively to the country’s growth," the director noted.