Innovation Instinct

THE INDIAN INSTITUTE of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, es­tablished in 1959, is renowned for its excellence in engineer­ing education and research. In this article, we explore the organisational structure, strengths, scope, aspirations, challenges, and recent initiatives of IIT Kanpur, highlighting its rich history and outstanding contributions to the field of engineering and emerging fields of education.

IIT Kanpur, one of India’s premier ed­ucational institutions, follows a well-de­fined organisational structure that has been crucial to its growth and success. The institute operates under a Board of Governors, which consists of eminent individuals from academia, industry, and the government. The director, who is responsible for the overall function­ing of the institute, leads IIT Kanpur. Under the director, several deans and administrative as well as academic de­partments work together to ensure ef­ficient operations. They work towards the fulfilment of the institute’s objec­tives. The institute is divided into various departments and Centres of Excellence, each catering to different fields of study and research.

Since its inception in 1959, IIT Kan­pur has been led by visionaries who have set the institute on a path of con­tinual growth and contribution to the nation. Notable leaders like PK Kelkar, MS Muthana, S Sampath, and others played a significant role in defining the institute’s vision and mission. These leaders emphasised the importance of academic excellence, innovation, and societal impact, inspiring faculty, staff, and students to strive for greatness.

IIT Kanpur boasts a robust academic framework that provides students with comprehensive education and equips them with essential skills required for success in their chosen fields. We offer undergraduate, postgraduate, eMaster’s and doctoral programmes in various dis­ciplines, including engineering, scienc­es, humanities, and management. The academic curriculum is designed to be interdisciplinary, encouraging students to explore diverse areas of study and pur­sue research-driven education. The em­phasis on project-based learning, practi­cal training, and experiential education ensures that students are well-prepared to tackle real-world challenges.

In its pursuit to provide world-class education, IIT Kanpur has collaborated with several foreign universities. This in­cludes a joint dual PhD programme with the New York University, the Rice-IITK Collaborative Centre with Rice Univer­sity, and the IIT Kanpur-La Trobe Univer­sity Research Academy, to name a few.

IIT Kanpur had a comprehensive curriculum overhaul in 2021 based on the recommendations of the Under­graduate and Postgraduate Academic Review Committee Reports. The cur­riculum reforms align with the Na­tional Education Policy (NEP) 2020. We already offer a highly flexible academic programme with options for double majors, minors, dual degrees, and Mas­ter’s degrees in different fields. As part of the curriculum revamp, new degree options, such as Honours degrees and inter-departmental programmes, were proposed, expanding the scope of study to include Social Sciences, Communica­tion, Humanities, Economics, Manage­ment, and Environment (SCHEME).

The undergraduate education frame­work includes innovative opportunities for student exchange during the Bache­lor’s-Master’s Dual Degree programme. Special provisions have been made for exceptional students, including direct admission through global Olympiads, recognition of credits for entrepreneur­ial ventures and industry-based learn­ing, and the option of an exit degree for those who discontinue the programme.

In line with NEP 2020, new depart­ments focusing on interdisciplinary fields, such as Economic Sciences, Cognitive Science, Sustainable Energy Engineering, Design, Space Science and Astronomy, have been established at IIT Kanpur. The institute also houses the Shivani Centre for the Nurture and Re-integration of Hindi & Other Indian Languages (OILs), promoting technical education and innovation in Hindi and other national languages. The English Language Cell, on the other hand, helps students to strengthen their English lan­guage skills.

IIT Kanpur prides itself on having a world-class faculty that comprises high­ly accomplished and dedicated educa­tors, researchers, and industry experts. The institute’s research centres and labs provide a conducive environment for experimentation and innovation. The research findings and publications from IIT Kanpur have garnered global recog­nition and have made a substantial im­pact on the scientific community.

IIT Kanpur offers a wide range of engineering programmes at the under­graduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels in diverse fields, such as Computer Science and Engineering, Civil Engineer­ing, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and more.

The recent additions from the insti­tute were two new departments in the fields of Design, and Space Science and Astronomy. With this, IIT Kanpur now has 19 departments, 22 centres, three interdisciplinary programmes and 10 eMaster’s degree programmes in Engi­neering, Science, Design, Humanities, and Management disciplines. The in­stitute also offers interdisciplinary pro­grammes, such as the 5-year BT-MT and BS-MS Dual Degree programmes in vari­ous engineering and science disciplines.

IIT Kanpur fosters an environment that nurtures innovation and entre­preneurship, resulting in a significant number of successful startup initiatives. The institute topped the National Insti­tutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2023 list of best colleges in the category of innovation. IIT Kanpur’s Incubation Centre, Startup Incubation & Innova­tion Centre (SIIC) includes startups working in cutting-edge technologies, such as Cyber Security, Blockchain, De­fence, AI/ML, CleanTech, GreenTech, AgriTech, and Fintech.

We offer a Student Entrepreneurship Policy to promote startup incubation among students, which is a pioneering initiative in accordance with the Nation­al Innovation & Startup Policy (NISP) and NEP 2020. This policy offers students two pathways to engage in entrepreneurship activities with the guidance of a faculty or external mentor. The first route involves registering for the semester and choosing ‘Innovation and Entrepreneurship Cred­its’ (IEC) as an option, while the second route allows students to take a semester off to focus on innovation and entrepre­neurship without the need for IEC credit registration.

The institute has established a ro­bust management system for Intellec­tual Property Rights (IPR) protection and technology commercialisation. We’ve filed more than 960 IPRs to date and it in­cludes a record-breaking 109 IPRs in 2022. Along with these, 132 technologies have been licensed to industry partners.

IN TERMS OF PLACEMENTS, TOO, we have had a good track record with our students being placed across large companies and organisations, both na­tionally and globally. The Students’ Place­ment Office at the institute looks after the entire process. There are student clubs, such as the Toastmasters Club, to guide the students and boost their confidence.

Additionally, IIT Kanpur runs a unique eMaster’s degree programme tailored for working professionals and graduates with at least two years of work experience. Courses, such as Data Sci­ence and Business Analytics and Eco­nomics, Finance & Data Analysis have significant components focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Sci­ence, equipping learners with relevant tools and techniques. In total, there are 10 eMaster’s degree programmes in the fields of Economics, Finance, Data Sci­ence, Business Analytics, Cyber Secu­rity, Communication Systems, and so on, which help working professionals stay up-to-date with the changing times.

IIT Kanpur has been offering special­ised programmes in emerging fields to equip students with the necessary skills to contribute to the growing sectors. For example, it has recently launched two new MTech programmes—Unmanned Aerial Systems Engineering and Cogni­tive Systems. Unmanned Aerial Systems Engineering, which is the first of its kind course in India, will equip students with the necessary skills and knowledge to be­come leaders in the field of drone technol­ogy which has numerous applications in fields such as agriculture, transportation, and defence. The programme in Cogni­tive Systems focuses on the development of intelligent systems that can interact with humans, understand their goals and needs, and make decisions autono­mously. It aims to train students in the areas of AI, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, and Human-Com­puter Interaction, among others.

The higher education system in India faces numerous challenges, in­cluding funding constraints, limited budgets, attracting and retaining top talent, ensuring equitable access and inclusion, bridging the industry-aca­demia gap, and adapting to evolving technological advancements. In India, the budgetary allocation for higher edu­cation and research has been lower than desired, as compared to countries like the US, Japan, and China. Considering that the National Policy on Education 1968 recommended the expenditure of 6 per cent of GDP on education, and NEP 2020 also reaffirms that, the na­tion’s investment in higher education and research needs to be considerably enhanced to improve the sector’s overall quality and scope.

Another significant challenge that we face is in attracting and retaining renowned experts and scholars due to significant competition from institu­tions abroad that offer better facilities, salaries, and research opportunities. This trend is gradually changing as there are better avenues and opportunities coming up in India. Nevertheless, even after 75 years of Independence, equal op­portunities for students to access higher education is yet to be fully realised as dis­parities remain across socioeconomic backgrounds, gender, and regions.

There exists a gap between industry requirements and the skills acquired through traditional higher education. NEP 2020, which emphasises flexible curricular structures that can enable creative combinations and calls for multidisciplinary education, can help in fostering collaboration between aca­demia and industry.

IIT Kanpur firmly believes in the diversity of education and has been continuously revamping its curricula periodically to better suit the changing education ecosystem of the country. As a higher educational institute of repute, we acknowledge the transformative power of AI, machine learning (ML) and data science (DS) and their impact on various sectors. The faculty from various depart­ments, including Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), Electrical Engineer­ing, Mathematics & Statistics, Industrial & Management Engineering, and Eco­nomic Sciences, contribute to teaching a gamut of courses in AI while actively participating in AI/ML/DS projects. The Department of Mathematics and Statis­tics, for example, now offers BS and BS-MS degree programmes in Statistics and Data Science, starting from the academic year 2021-22. Similarly, the Department of Computer Science & Engineering of­fers over 30 courses in AI and ML, along with a minor degree programme for stu­dents from other departments.

We have also recently established the Centre for Developing Intelligent Systems (CDIS), dedicated to the rapid development and prototyping of intel­ligent software systems, specifically meant to address problems within the Indian ecosystem.

The introduction of new depart­ments and initiatives at IIT Kanpur showcases the institute’s commitment to staying ahead in technology and re­search to solve basic human problems. These developments not only provide students with opportunities to special­ise in emerging fields but also contrib­ute to the advancement of knowledge and the country’s technological growth.

In a first-of-its-kind initiative in India, IIT Kanpur has initiated the setting up of the Gangwal School of Medical Sciences & Technology, and the Yadupati Singha­nia Super Speciality Hospital to bridge the gap between medical and technology disciplines. It aims to accelerate research and innovation in the MedTech domain for ensuring all-round development in the medical sector of the country. Under its aegis, a very ambitious and crucial project to develop an artificial heart is ongoing in collaboration with cardiolo­gists across the country. The equipment that is currently ready for trial in animals will take another 2-3 years for being put in clinical situations.

We are also expanding our research and development activities in vari­ous other fields. We have set up new research centres and laboratories to facilitate cutting-edge research in areas such as robotics, renewable energy, cy­bersecurity, and bioinformatics.

IIT Kanpur changed the face of computer education in India by install­ing the first IBM 1620 computer at its premises in August 1963 and initiating computer courses. Now that AI/ML and other emerging technologies are taking centrestage, one recent development is the establishment of the Artificial Intel­ligence and Innovation Driven Entre­preneurship- Centre of Excellence by IIT Kanpur’s Foundation for Innovation and Research in Science & Technology (FIRST) in collaboration with the Federa­tion of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), to provide mentorship, networking opportunities, training, re­search and development, infrastructure, and funding opportunities to startups.

Moreover, IIT Kanpur has been ac­tively collaborating with industry part­ners and other academic institutions to promote interdisciplinary research initiatives. These collaborations aim to foster innovation and address complex societal challenges by leveraging exper­tise from different domains.

Recently, IIT Kanpur has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Laurus Labs to introduce ground­breaking gene therapy assets to the market. The memorandum allows IIT Kanpur to transfer several gene therapy assets through in-licensing to Laurus Labs, who will provide a research grant to facilitate their progression through pre-clinical development. Prior to this, we had licensed a pioneering technol­ogy to Reliance Life Sciences that has the potential to revolutionise the field of gene therapy, especially for many ge­netic eye diseases.

IIT Kanpur’s continued success can be attributed to its robust organisation­al structure, diverse programmes, and commitment to innovation. Despite the challenges faced by higher educa­tion institutions in India, IIT Kanpur has displayed resilience and a proac­tive approach to adapting to emerging fields in engineering. Through vision­ary initiatives and a strong emphasis on research and development, IIT Kan­pur remains a dominant force in shap­ing the future of engineering education and research in India.

About The Author

Shalabh

Shalabh is Dean, Academic Affairs, IIT Kanpur