IIT Madras launches IITM Global to position itself as world’s first multinational university

IIT Madras

• IIT Madras launched IITM Global to expand international research and innovation.
• IITM Global signed MoUs in US, UK, Germany, Dubai, Asia-Pacific, and India.
• The initiative targets research, startups, talent exchange, and tech commercialization.

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The Indian Institute of Technology Madras, on December 2, launched IITM Global, a new international research and innovation platform aimed at positioning the institute as the world’s first multinational university, with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar unveiling the initiative on the Chennai campus as part of a broader push to scale overseas research, academic, and startup collaborations.

IITM Global has been positioned as a dedicated global engagement vehicle to take IIT Madras’s research, innovation, and entrepreneurship capabilities to international markets. The institute said the platform will enable collaborations across research, industry, startups, and talent mobility, while also bringing global projects and capital back into its domestic ecosystem.

The launch took place alongside the inauguration of the IITM Festival Fortnight, which includes the institute's open house as well as its annual technical festival Shaastra, and cultural festival Saarang.

As part of the rollout, IIT-Madras has signed a series of MoUs with institutions and partners 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 under the India-for-Global initiative.

The partnerships are focused on joint research, industry and startup collaboration, global talent exchange and translating deep-tech research into commercial applications.

V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said IITM Global will operate through a four-pronged approach.

Kamakoti added that IITM Global will initially establish a presence in five locations, including the United States, Dubai, Malaysia and Germany, with plans to expand to additional countries based on outcomes and demand.

The initiative has been structured as a plug-and-play framework, allowing researchers, startups and industry partners to access global research infrastructure, markets and capital without setting up standalone overseas entities. Officials said the model is intended to balance local execution with international engagement, while remaining scalable across geographies.

IITM Global will focus on a set of priority domains aligned with the institute’s research strengths. These include data science and artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cybersecurity and blockchain, space technology, advanced mobility, energy and water sustainability, health technology and green technology.

IIT Madras has consistently ranked first in the National Institutional Ranking Framework and is ranked among the leading Asian universities in global rankings.

In 2023, it became the first IIT to establish an international campus, with the launch of IIT Madras Zanzibar in Tanzania.