E-Paper
‘This is time to recharge, not relax’: IIT Madras director as institute tops NIRF rankings
Prof Kamakoti said IIT Madras made significant strides in inclusive education, particularly supporting physically challenged students
NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has secured top rank in the engineering category for the 10th consecutive year in NIRF 2025 and in the overall category for the 7th consecutive year. It also secured the first rank in the innovations category, improving upon its second position of last year. The Chennai-based institute also secured first rank in the category of ‘Sustainability Development Goals’ (SDG), which was introduced this year.
In an interview with HT, IIT Madras director Prof. V. Kamakoti shared the reasons behind the institution’s continued success. Edited excerpts:
What has helped IIT Madras consistently secure the top spot in overall and engineering category of NIRF rankings?
Our success comes from working in a cohesive, coordinated, and focused manner on goals set under a five-year strategic plan. We strictly adhered to this roadmap, with faculty, staff, students, alumni, industry partners, government funding agencies, and the education ministry all contributing in a highly coordinated way. This collective effort has helped IIT Madras secure the top position in engineering for the 10th consecutive year, the overall category for the 7th consecutive year, and now number one in innovation after being second last year. Strong graduation outcomes, positive perception, innovation, funding support, start-ups, and impactful research citations have been key factors in sustaining this performance.
How did IIT Madras clinch the top spot in the newly introduced SDG category ranking?
We currently run around 25 initiatives aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For instance, our ‘Hyundai Hope for Cancer’ program is a pioneering effort to improve paediatric cancer care in India, addressing the goal of accessible healthcare for all. We also have a strong energy consortium with nearly 60 faculty members working on critical areas such as carbon challenges, hydrogen, and green hydrogen. These wide-ranging efforts in health, energy, and sustainability have contributed significantly to our top position in the SDG category. We launched a School of Sustainability in October 2023 to further boost the exemplary work being done in this area.
What are your views on negative marking for retracted papers in NIRF rankings?
At IIT Madras, we place the highest importance on research ethics, and trust in our faculty is paramount. Individual faculty members drive research and publications, and we have multiple safeguards to ensure integrity. Tools like Turnitin are used to check plagiarism, while compulsory courses on research and professional ethics are part of training for faculty, scholars, and senior students. In addition, our Institute Ethics Committee oversees all human and animal trials, granting approvals before any study proceeds. With these checks in place, we are confident such issues will not arise here.
How is IIT Madras enhancing inclusivity and diversity on campus?
We have made significant strides in inclusive education, particularly supporting physically challenged students, and we are continuously working to improve further. Gender inclusivity is also a priority. Women make up nearly 50% of our staff, and we have been emphasizing the recruitment of women faculty and increasing the number of women students, achieving substantial progress in recent years. In terms of diversity, we focus on bringing students and faculty from other states and linguistic backgrounds to ensure a welcoming and supportive environment. Currently, about 20-24% of our undergraduate and postgraduate students come from other states, while more than 15% of our faculty are from different states. Additionally, IIT Madras has introduced initiatives such as the sports quota, and NIRF is now recognizing factors like sports and financial quotas, which further support diversity and inclusion on campus.
What are the next priorities or focus areas for IIT Madras?
This is a time to recharge, not to relax, and we aim to push our agenda forward in three key areas. First, we are focusing on boosting innovation and entrepreneurship by increasing the number of patents filed annually, supporting startups, and setting up funds to help them grow. Second, we are aligning our goals with SDGs, which is crucial for sustainability and for India’s national commitments, as well as with the National Education Policy. Third, we aim to improve the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in higher education, which is currently around 27%, to reach the target of 50% by 2035. To achieve this, initiatives such as Vidya Shakti have been launched, including rural interaction centers that encourage children to pursue higher education. By engaging at the grassroots level, we hope to significantly increase participation in higher education.
