First IIT-Delhi international campus to be established in Abu Dhabi

The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), the Ministry of Education in India, and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-Delhi) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish the first international campus of IIT-Delhi in Abu Dhabi.

The MoU was signed in the presence of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and signed by Sara Musallam, Minister of State for Early Education, Chairwoman of the Federal Agency of Early Education, and Chairwoman of ADEK; Sunjay Sudhir, Indian Ambassador to the UAE; and Professor Rangan Banerjee, Director of IIT-Delhi.

Musallam commented on how the MoU represents an important step in Abu Dhabi's commitment "towards actualising a globally competitive education ecosystem."

She added, "Advancing Abu Dhabi's technology and engineering higher education landscape, our strategic focus lies in cultivating home-grown STEM talent and empowering future Emirati graduates to create a global impact."

Dharmendra Pradhan, Cabinet Minister for Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in the Government of India, hailed the agreement as a new chapter in the “internationalisation of India’s education".

In the presence of the UAE President and the Prime Minister of India, @ADEK_tweet has signed a strategic partnership with India’s Ministry of Education to establish the first international campus of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-Delhi) in Abu Dhabi. pic.twitter.com/rHsXvTgyS2

— مكتب أبوظبي الإعلامي (@ADMediaOffice) July 15, 2023

IIT-Delhi Abu Dhabi will collaborate with key players such as Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, Khalifa University, New York University Abu Dhabi, Technology Innovation Institute, and Hub71 to offer complimentary programmes, conduct cutting-edge research, and advance the local startup ecosystem.

The IIT-Delhi Abu Dhabi campus is set to launch its diverse range of academic offerings in January 2024 with a host of bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. programmes, and operate research centers related to sustainable energy, climate studies, computing, and data sciences.

IIT-Delhi Abu Dhabi graduates will join an illustrious alumni network of graduates from 23 campuses across India. With outstanding credentials, IIT-Delhi recently ranked among the world’s top 50 institutions for engineering and technology.

It also scored a top 30 rank for global employability in the 2022 QS World University Rankings. IIT-Delhi has been a frontline contributor to India's R&D ecosystem in sectors ranging from defense, healthcare, and rural development, to transportation, IT, and software.