IIT Madras Global to Open Over Five International Centres by End of Year
The IIT Madras Global Research Foundation (IIT-M Global) has announced plans to establish more than five international centres by the end of the year to expand the Madras-based institute's academic and startup footprint globally.
Thirumalai Madhavnarayan, the chief executive officer and director of IIT-M Global, revealed the expansion strategy, which aims to support growth-stage deep-tech startups from the IIT Madras ecosystem in entering new international markets, securing funding, and forming corporate partnerships.
The planned international hubs will include a centre on the East Coast of the United States, as well as locations in the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Malaysia, and Tanzania, where a centre will operate out of the institute's Zanzibar campus. These upcoming locations follow the recent opening of a technology and startup centre in Menlo Park, California.
According to Madhavnarayan, the global expansion operates on four core pillars: supporting growth-stage deep-tech startups, conducting sponsored research and consultancy, commercialising intellectual property, and delivering globally relevant academic programmes. The strategy allows the institute to scale its research and innovation ecosystem without constructing large physical campuses overseas.
To facilitate the expansion, an expert committee will assess and select approximately 50 curated deep-tech startups that are three to five years into business with sustainable performance and the right market fit. The foundation aims to shortlist 10 startups for each of the five target markets by next year.
The international centres are designed to provide startups with short-term workspaces, soft-landing support, assistance with initial establishment, and connections to local customers and partners. Additionally, the centres aim to help startups access capital by building early relationships with venture capitalists.
Madhavnarayan noted that the global expansion also seeks to commercialise the institute's intellectual property, with current interest spanning the energy, marine, and space sectors. He highlighted that startups naturally migrate to where adoption, customers, and capital are available, citing examples such as an energy startup from the ecosystem that raised capital from the UK, and conversational AI startup Uniphore, which became a US unicorn.
