COEP’s campus may become IIT Bombay sub-centre, says Patil

Discussions are underway with the central government and IIT Bombay to explore whether students completing research at Chikhali facility can be awarded IIT Bombay degrees, says Patil

The College of Engineering Pune (COEP) Technical University’s research campus at Chikhali may soon be recognised as a sub-centre of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, said Chandrakant Patil, state higher and technical education minister, during the second convocation ceremony of the varsity in Pune on Friday.

Chandrakant Patil, state higher and technical education minister, during the second convocation ceremony of the varsity in Pune on Friday. (HT PHOTO)

At least 358 postgraduate students (271 MTech and 87 MBA), 725 graduate students, and nine gold medalists received degree certificates at the event.

Patil said institutional partnerships with premier institutes like IIT Bombay would not only strengthen technological development, but also accelerate India’s journey towards becoming a global innovation hub.

“Discussions are underway with the central government and IIT Bombay to explore whether students completing research at Chikhali facility can be awarded IIT Bombay degrees,” he said.

Citing Nalanda University’s international reputation centuries ago, he emphasised that revival of the culture lies in cutting-edge research, patents, and technology transfer, besides promotion of regional language education to make innovation more inclusive.

The minister said the university’s undergraduate and postgraduate programmes would continue to operate from the main Pune campus.

Arvind Goyal, vice-chairman, Tata Auto-Comp Systems and guest of honour, said, “Artificial intelligence and digital technologies will transform every sector in the coming two decades.”