IIT Delhi's overseas campus in Mauritius named as International Institute of Technology Research Academy (IITRA) will function from November this year. The institute has been established under the MoU between Mauritius Research Council (MRC) of Republic of Mauritius and Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India. It is a part of MoU that was signed between India and Mauritius in November 2013.
The overseas research institute is aimed at attracting international students to the island nation and will initially provide part time and full time Ph.D programs and Masters in Science programs in electrical, electronics and Computer technology. Initially the IITRA campus would be located in Bel Air Mauritus and later on will move to its main campus in 2015.
What is the role of IIT Delhi in this MoU
- Setting up the Institute: Provide necessary academic support & leadership in the establishmnet of IITRA
- Planning the Academic Programs: Set up academic programs at IITRA based on the academic norms and autonomy as it is in IIT Delhi.
- Confer Degrees: Till at least 2018 IIT Delhi will award Ph.D and MS(Research) degrees on successful completion of academic program. At the same time it will also help IITRA an award granting body as per the Mauritius higher education sysytem.
"The main objective of this institute is to set up IIT like technology education institute in Mauritius and encourage research culture in the island nation" said Dr. SM Ishtiaque, a professor from IIT Delhi
Progress is being made towards full functionality of the campus. There have been 210 applications for the posts of teachers for the ITRA and more than 380 applications from the student side.
When asked about the prospects of setting up other campuses overseas, Dr.Ishtiaque commented that Singapore, New York, Dubai and Hong Kong are possibilities.
