Abu Dhabi: The Indian Institute of Technology, is expected to open its first overseas campus in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital Abu Dhabi in January 2024.
IIT-Delhi Director Rangan Banerjee said the move will further enhance UAE-India relations and joint cooperation, especially in the field of higher education.
On the sidelines of the Emirates News Agency’s (WAM) visit to IIT Delhi’s campus, coinciding with the convening of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, Banerjee noted that the institution signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) the with Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) and India’s Ministry of Education in June during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the UAE.
He added that the IIT-Delhi Abu Dhabi reflects the shared vision of the two countries to focus on the areas of educational excellence, innovation, knowledge exchange, and investment in human capital.
Banerjee explained that the institution will handle all academic matters in its new branch in Abu Dhabi, including curricula, laboratories, and research initiatives, in addition to participating in infrastructure planning, especially digital infrastructure, in cooperation with partners in “ADEC” and other relevant parties.
On February 18, 2022, as part of the India-UAE trade deal signed, India announced to setting up of the first IIT in the UAE.
Since then, the two sides have been in contact to come up with measures to follow up on the proposal. IIT Delhi has a small team stationed on the Abu Dhabi map to implement the proposal.
In November 2022, a high-level team from IIT Delhi visited the UAE capital and held discussions with Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) officials and other stakeholders in the UAE.
About IIT
IITs are national institutes in India and presently there are 23 IITs in the country. These 23 IITs are located in various regions of the country offering undergraduate (UG), postgraduate (PG), and doctorate (PhD) level programmes. The top IITs in India are IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur, and IIT Madras. Predominantly, IITs are known for offering B Tech and M Tech degree programmes.
Admission to IIT is through the Advanced Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). The highest-ranking eligible students in JEE Mains are eligible to appear on the JEE Advanced. Indian expatriate students usually visit India to write these exams.
