President Ram Nath Kovind has called upon IIT-Hyderabad graduates to focus on research and innovation and to be relevant to the fourth industrial revolution that is poised to write the script of the 21st century.
Addressing IIT-Hyderabad students during their 7th convocation, the President said, “As a second generation IIT, it is important that you borrow as well as learn from the model of the past. Conditions are different from the 1950s and 1960s. India has changed and technology and the discipline of engineering have evolved. Our aspirations are no longer limited to heavy industrial base that we created six decades go.”
“Please dream big and aim high and take risks. The time is now,” he said, calling upon students to take to innovation and transforming the IIT-H into a hub for a larger ecosystem.
The President said, “IIT-Hyderabad should become the hub of the innovation, research and entrepreneurial ecosystem of the region and the Institute should work collaboratively on areas of research for the benefit of the country and society.”
566 students graduate
On the 7th Convocation 566 students graduated.
UB Desai, Director, IIT-Hyderabad, said, “Though IIT-Hyderabad is 10 years old, we have made a mark in education and research. We are ranked 9th by NIRF. We have developed a very novel academic structure referred to as Fractal Academics — this brings in a totally new paradigm in education. As an example of flexibility, I would like to mention the new minor in Artificial Intelligence in Humanities, that we are starting from this academic year.”
“On the research front too, we have made significant strides. Our sanctioned sponsored research funding is to the tune of ₹350 crore and it is rapidly growing.” Desai added.
IIT-Hyderabad nurtures a vibrant research culture in cutting-edge technologies, with over 800 Ph.D. students, out of which 58 received their doctorates during the Convocation 2018. The Institute has developed a strong connect with industry with as many as 104 sponsored research and 68 consultancy projects in the last year. The institute seeks to inculcate the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship amongst students with three incubators — in healthcare, fabless chip design, and technology.
50 patents filed
With nearly 50 filed patents, over 50 industry collaborations, and with over 50 MoUs with universities globally, IIT-Hyderabad is creating a holistic educational ecosystem with deep ties with all the stakeholders.