IIT Madras Aims To Lead In Research And Innovation, Says Director

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras secured the overall top rank for the sixth consecutive year and the first rank in the engineering category for the ninth time in NIRF Rankings.

In an interview with NDTV's Sam Daniel, the institute's director, professor Kamakoti, attributed this success to "high student welfare and the institute's cohesive work environment." 

He added that NIRF's objective is to encourage universities to contribute to the country and that these consistent top honours will positively impact recruitment.

IIT Madras ranks second in research and innovation, with the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru and IIT Bombay holding the top spots in these categories. Speaking on this, professor Kamakoti noted, "Our research takes longer to receive citations as we also focus on patents." 

He further said, "In innovation, we need to scale our start-ups. It's a healthy competition. IIT Madras aspires to become number one in research and innovation."

He emphasised that the pursuit of rankings will not dilute the institute's standards, as the focus remains on quality over quantity.

While IIT Madras is the top-ranking institute in India, it currently ranks 227th in the QS Global Rankings. The institute is now working to improve its global standing.

Mr Kamakoti acknowledged that perception is a challenge, noting that QS World Rankings often measure Indian universities against the US standards.

When asked about central institutes dominating the top ranks-with the exception of the privately-run Saveetha Dental College director dismissed any notion of bias towards centrally funded institutions.