The third offshore Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus is likely to come up in Sri Lanka, according to sources.
The proposal for an offshore IIT campus in Sri Lanka was announced last November in the 2024 Budget unveiled by Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who also serves as the finance minister.
“A high-level delegation had recently visited the Chennai campus to discuss the future roadmap. The talks are on and the campus is likely to come up in Kandy,” a source said.
“The delegation also visited the Research Park at the campus and interacted with officials about possible areas of engagement,” the source added.
The Indian government had announced that opportunities for admission to the IITs in India will be provided to meritorious Sri Lankan students from the 2017-18 academic sessions onwards.
“Talks with Sri Lankan authorities are in preliminary stages for IIT Madras to set up a campus in that country. A delegation from Sri Lanka visited our campus and soon a delegation from IIT Madras will visit Sri Lanka for a feasibility study,” a spokesperson of IIT Madras said.
If the plan for the Sri Lanka campus comes through, it will be IIT Madras’ second international campus. Last year, IIT Madras set up an offshore campus in Tanzania’s Zanzibar with Preeti Aghalyam being appointed the director-in-charge, who also became the first woman IIT Director.
Also Read: First IIT campus aboard opened in Zanzibar by President Mwinyi
IIT Delhi followed the league and signed a formal agreement with the UAE government to set up a campus in Abu Dhabi.
The initial Master’s course at the IIT Delhi-Abu Dhabi campus will focus on energy transition and sustainability, reflecting a shared vision between India and the UAE to leverage knowledge for mutual prosperity and global well-being.
The UK is also keen on welcoming an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) to set up an offshore campus in the country and some UK universities are already in talks with IITs to explore the possibility.
Several IITs have been receiving requests from the Middle East and South Asian countries to set up their campuses.
The central government had created a 17-member committee to facilitate the process of opening IIT campuses in foreign locations where students from different nations can study technical education.
