The Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-Delhi) has opened its maiden international campus in Abu Dhabi. The campus was inaugurated by HH Sheik Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, on 2 September 2024. IIT-Delhi is one of India’s leading STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) institutes. During the inauguration of the IIT-Delhi Abu Dhabi campus, the Crown Prince witnessed the strategic partnership between IIT-Delhi and several prestigious universities in Abu Dhabi, including Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, Khalifa University, Sorbonne University, and Zayed University.
Each Agreement promises a range of academic opportunities for students in the home university of IIT-Delhi, its Abu Dhabi branch, and the other institutes of Abu Dhabi. The MoU with Khalifa University will facilitate sharing of research facilities and lab spaces, collaboration in research and academic programmes, and mobility of faculty and student exchanges.
IIT-Delhi’s partnership with Sorbonne University will promote joint research projects, organisation of seminars and scientific meetings, and student exchange at postgraduate levels.
Its MoU with the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence will facilitate joint teaching and research by allocating seed project grants by both institutions, short training programmes, and internship opportunities.
The Agreement with Zayed University will enable the hosting of exchange programmes for faculty and students, co-supervising graduation research, collaborating on education and research, and hosting academic events, including research seminars, joint conferences, student workshops, and competitions.
During his visit, Sheikh Khaled underscored the institution’s importance in fulfilling the leadership’s aim of converting Abu Dhabi into an inclusive hub of education and knowledge development. He emphasised that the opening of the campus indicates the UAE’s readiness to tackle climate change and produce leaders for a sustainable future. He added that the campus reflects UAE’s advanced education ecosystem. It will enhance Abu Dhabi’s position as a global hub in research and development and facilitate talent upskilling in several vital sectors.
The Ministry of Education, India, remarked on the occasion about the Sheikh’s inauguration of the institute. They wrote on social media that the Sheikh “welcomed its first batch of Under Graduate (UG) students today, marking a historic milestone in international engineering education under the prestigious brand of IIT. The inaugural batch of 52 students will pursue B. Tech degrees in Computer Science and Engineering, and Energy Engineering.”
The Sheikh also addressed the audience on the Master’s program in Energy Transition and Sustainability (ETS). The course aims to nurture new leaders towards equitable energy transition solutions.
The MoU between the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, the Ministry of Education of India, and the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge was signed in July 2023. Abu Dhabi’s President, HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Shri Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, witnessed the key academic agreement.
