IIT Madras launches 15 Centres of Excellence to foster cutting-edge research

Under the Centre's Institute of Eminence (IoE) scheme, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) launched 15 Centres of Excellence on Wednesday, May 24. The initiative would involve 400 faculty members and foster collaborations that can lead to innovations and advancement in key areas.

The IoE scheme is aimed at empowering higher education institutions to become world-class teaching and research establishments. IIT Madras was selected as an IoE in 2019 by the Ministry of Education. It has established several research initiatives in diverse fields since, as mentioned in a report by PTI.

Under Phase 1 of the scheme, IIT Madras identified 68 research initiatives across 21 technology clusters in various fields and through an extensive process. Then, 15 Centres of Excellence were shortlisted. Once operational, these centres would be undertaking cutting-edge research to develop next-generation technologies and create a significant impact in domestic and overseas markets, accordion to a press release.

Speaking about the launch, IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti said, "These centres are predominantly interdisciplinary, involving faculty from more than three departments and working on niche technologies. A substantial amount of IoE funding has been invested in the development of research. We had a first set of exploratory research grant through which around 68 projects had been funded. Based on the deliverables of those projects, we shortlisted 15 for which today we are announcing the Centre of Excellence status."  

The press release added that these Centres of Excellence are dedicated to specific areas of study and are expected to reach the top five in the world in terms of research and innovation. The facilities are intended to serve as hubs attracting talent and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, as per PTI.