Chennai: On a sultry evening last Tuesday, a packed hall with students inside IIT Madras campus buzzed with energy. IIT Madras director V. Kamakoti began his keynote address. “Our goal is to launch 100 start-ups every year, starting with a deadline of November next year,” he announced.
Kamakoti’s vision was clear and bold. “Picture this,” he said at the celebration of Agnikul Cosmos, a space tech start-up incubated by IIT Madras. “Every third day, a new start-up should emerge from our campus. I want to see drones in the air, cars in motion, and groundbreaking work happening everywhere. If we don’t reach our ‘Start-up 100’ goal within the next one or one and half years, I will consider it a failure of my leadership. We must push ourselves to make this happen.”
“That is our top priority. By November 2025, I want to proudly announce that 20 percent of our graduates are not just starting their careers but are already CXOs and CTOs, creating jobs and leading start-ups. Achieving this will ensure we leave a lasting impact not only in India, but across the world.”
Coming in the backdrop of IIT Madras being ranked as the best engineering college as well as the best institute overall in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings, Kamakoti’s address encapsulates the institute’s “research ecosystem” that sets it apart from other legacy IITs. The institute was adjudged as the best in the overall category for the sixth consecutive year and in the engineering category for the ninth consecutive year.
From beginning with roughly 120 students after its inauguration in 1959, IIT Madras now boasts of over 8,000 students and about 2,000 teaching and non-teaching faculty. It has 18 departments and around 100 laboratories along with research and innovation centres on its campus. Last year, IIT Madras became the first IIT to start a campus abroad when it started a campus in Zanzibar.
To further integrate academic learning with industry experience for preparing students for real-world challenges, the institute revamped its undergraduate curriculum this year, introducing a six-month internship programme.
More than 370 start-ups have emerged from IIT Madras’ incubation cell since 2013, boasting a collective market valuation of Rs 47,000 crore. Among these start-ups are India’s standout unicorns, Ether Energy and Uniphore. Approximately 60 percent of the R&D centres are operated by external companies, with the remainder being managed by a dynamic mix of alumni, faculty, students, and project staff. The park is home to industry giants like Tata, DRDO, Toyota, BHEL, and Pfizer.
Over the years, the institute has given some distinguished alumni of the likes of Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan, Google senior vice-president Prabhakar Raghavan, and Zoho Corporation founder Sridhar Vembu.
“We have a lot of emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship at the campus, and the institute provides all possible opportunities. There is a lot going on at the campus all the time. It can sometimes be very overwhelming for students to match the pace,” said Avinash Kumar, a postgraduate student.
Srinath Ravichandran, co-founder of Agnikul Cosmos, which launched the world’s first rocket with a single-piece 3D-printed engine in May, attributed much of the start-up’s success to the vibrant ecosystem at IIT Madras.
He believes that being immersed in this dynamic environment—rich with access to cutting-edge research, talented Master’s and PhD students, and esteemed professors—provided crucial support and inspiration.
“Just being in a community where research is considered normal really helps when you’re building a start-up of this nature,” he emphasised. “The overall ecosystem here has been indispensable. I can very clearly say Agnikul would not have been possible without the IIT Madras association.”
Rajnish Kumar, chairperson, rankings committee at IIT Madras, said that institute not just attracts the best talent in terms of students but also ensures high standards in hiring faculty. “The quality of the faculty matters because it directly affects the quality of research at the campus. If you are not able to attract the best among the pool, whether it’s the faculty or the student, how do you expect them to become the best?”
Kumar said that almost all faculty members at IIT Madras are PhD holders. “It is important to ensure that you are hiring senior faculty with the right experience. That’s something we focus a lot, and which is why you see we have more professors than associate or assistant professors. Whereas, in private higher education institutes, it’s the other way round. But that’s the standard we want to maintain,” he said.
The institute also emphasises hiring female faculty, particularly in leadership positions. “We are now running several schemes, like ‘women leading IIT M’, and we also consciously appointed a female director (Preeti Aghalayam) for Zanzibar campus. She is the first ever woman director of IIT. She’s doing extremely well. We are trying to bring women into positions of responsibility, positions of power,” Kamakoti said.
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When innovation is buzzword
It’s quite symbolic that a bridge, the ‘Industry-Academia Bridge’, connects the IIT Madras Research Park to the main campus. Since its inception in 2009, the park has become a vibrant epicentre where companies with a research focus establish Research and Development (R&D) centres.
Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala, the president of IIT M Research Park and its Incubation Cell, reflects on the park’s transformative impact. “15 years ago, we envisioned this park on a dedicated piece of land provided by the Tamil Nadu government. We founded a non-profit company, Section 8, to propel R&D towards real-world applications and successful incubation. The results speak volumes. It has tilted the scales significantly in favour of IIT Madras. While other IITs may compete in various domains, none can rival our unique achievement,” he explained.
For instance, French giant Saint Gobain has undertaken 22 R&D projects with IIT Madras faculty and students. Twenty have been launched as profitable products and solutions in the market. Similarly, Titan Industries Innovation Hub’s partnership for material characterisation and coatings has resulted in the generation of five patents.
“Corporates setting up R&D centres have a key condition. They have to collaborate with IIT M on various fronts, including sponsored research, long-term projects, and internships or direct placements for our students.
“This synergy has created a vibrant ecosystem where academic innovations find practical applications. It has given both academic and industry professionals invaluable insights into how our research can impact the market. This collaborative culture has instilled a spirit of innovation within the IIT Madras community,” Incubation Cell CEO Tamaswati Ghosh said.
Reema Saha, head of sales and marketing at the research park, asserted that the institute doesn’t differentiate if it’s a MNC, a mid-sized company, or a start-up. “If you have a R&D idea which could be commercialised, we go all the way out to provide the support.”
Kamakoti highlighted the institute’s commitment to addressing real-world challenges through translational research. “Our focus has shifted towards socially impactful projects. For instance, deep-tech start-up Solinas aims to eradicate manual scavenging, and we’ve developed carts with cooling systems to keep vegetables fresh for longer periods. These initiatives ensure that our research remains relevant to both industry and societal needs,” he said.
‘A patent a day’
Last year, IIT Madras set an ambitious goal: to file one patent a day. By February, it surpassed this target by securing an impressive 382 patents. This, the faculty highlighted, demonstrates a significant increase in their innovative output and productivity.
The genesis for this ambitious goal traces back to 2018, Kamakoti recounted. “When I assumed the role of Associate Dean for the Centre for Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research (ICSR), my team and I conceived what we called the Patent A Day Scheme, or PADS. It took years of effort and strategic planning to reach this milestone…”
“Today, the impact is palpable. The IP team is overwhelmed with requests, and we’re now looking to expand the team with three or four more patent experts to handle the surge. This is the revolution we’ve ignited,” he added.
The innovation drive is evident in the output. In 2023, the number of patents granted nearly doubled, reaching 300 from 156 in 2022.
As the next step, the faculty said that the emphasis is on commercialisation—to actively pursue opportunities to bring these innovations to market, which could enhance their industry relevance. “Our next step is commercialisation. For the upcoming financial year, we are setting our sights even higher with a target of filing two patents a day,” the IIT Madras head emphasised.
Transformative experience, say past & present students
When Aryan Shah had joined the campus as a B.Tech civil engineering student four years ago, he did not imagine that he would work on a project related to aerospace. In his final year, Shah is a member of the diverse team of the rocketry team, Abhyuday, which is housed in the Centre for Innovation (CFI).
“There is a lot of diversity at the campus which helps us to understand our area of interest. This is one major thing I admire about my institute. Besides, the management is very helpful. There are professors who are not helping us technically but they also provide funds to us to participate in competitions.”
Shah said that now because of the industry connection at the campus, they have started getting sponsorships. “When we first participated in a space competition in the US recently, the institute helped us in shipping the rocket because it was very expensive. The CFI provides us space, and they also take care of our funds.”
Vaidyanathan Shankar, an alumnus from the Class of 1981 and founder of India’s largest mutual fund transfer agency Computer Age Management Services (CAMS) Pvt. Ltd., said that his journey at IIT Madras was transformational, and added that the exceptional culture of academic rigour coupled with a spirit of innovation is what makes his alma mater stand out.
“The institute fosters an environment where theoretical knowledge seamlessly integrates with practical application, encouraging students to push boundaries and think beyond conventional paradigms,” he said.
Shankar said that IIT Madras equipped him not only with technical expertise but also with a problem-solving mindset that has been instrumental in distinguishing myself in my entrepreneurial journey. “The collaborative community, world-class faculty, and cutting-edge resources provided a strong foundation that enabled me to reach where I am today.”
Feedback mechanism & challenges
Another standout feature is the feedback system for IIT Madras faculty allowing students to openly share their thoughts and experiences with the institute. “By giving students a voice, the system fosters a transparent dialogue. I don’t see any other IIT doing that,” said Rajnish Kumar, chairperson, rankings committee.
At the end of every month and sometimes towards the end of each semester, the dean of academics sends an email to all students seeking feedback. “Students have to fill an online form giving feedback to the faculty based on the parameters like how the faculty interacted and if they were punctual, among others,” said Atul Pandey, a final-year undergraduate student.
According to Kumar, it has helped it perform better and better every year in the Teaching Learning parameter of NIRF.
“The students here rank or grade their faculty between zero to 10 every month during the course. They are expected to give you a grade every month on the way you teach, based on the way you interact with them, based on the way they learn from you, based on the content of the assignments which you gave them, or based on the quizzes which you have conducted in the class,” he said.
Despite its stellar run in India, IIT Madras was ranked 227 in QS World University Rankings 2025. No Indian higher education institute has made it to the top 100 in global rankings since its launch in 2004. What the institute is still struggling to make progress is improving the representation of international students and faculty at its campus.
Kamakoti said that international rankings are 50 percent out of syllabus, and, therefore, the institute is looking at the remaining 50 percent of the other things.
“I think we will keep improving in research. We have done very well in sustainability parameters in the QS rankings. We were at 600-plus rankings in sustainability a year ago, and within just one year we have jumped to 280. However, we have certain limitations in recruiting a large and large number of international faculty. In terms of international students, we currently have 150. We can bring more foreign students, but then foreign faculty, we have certain laws, rules, regulations,” the IIT Madras director said.
“We are doing our best on this, but those things have to improve, meaning those things will try to keep improving,” he added.
(Edited by Tony Rai)