CHENNAI : A total of 411 students graduated during the 11^th Convocation of the Indian Institute of Information Technology Design and Manufacturing Kancheepuram (IIITDM Kancheepuram), a Central Government ‘Institute of National Importance’ located near Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

This includes 30 PhD, 149 Dual Degrees of B Tech and M Tech, 33 M.Tech, 12 M. Des and 187 B.Tech degree recipients. The number of PhD scholars receiving their degrees this year is the highest since the inception of the institute.

The entire convocation can be viewed on the following link – https://www.youtube.com/live/ZZsjQ_dloY4?feature=shared

Established in 2007 by the Union Ministry of Education as an academic and research institution of excellence, IIITDM Kancheepuram aims to develop a new generation of engineers and technologists with the ability to lead Indian industries in a globally-competitive economic environment. It is one of the first institutes in India to integrate design, humanities, and management courses in its dynamic undergraduate engineering curriculum.

The convocation was held in physical mode today (14th September 2023) in the presence of chief guest Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, Secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Government of India, and Director General, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), Dr. Sridhar Vembu (Padma Shri Awardee), Chairman, Board of Governors, IIITDM Kancheepuram, and Founder-CEO, Zoho Corporation, Prof. M.V. Kartikeyan, Director, IIITDM Kancheepuram, faculty, students and parents.

Addressing the convocation, chief guest Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, Secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Government of India, said, “Today is very important and special day because you (Students) are announcing that you have been qualified by a great organization for whatever you have studied so far…now, you are fully qualified and the whole world is open to you. The world is expecting that what it is that you are going to do for the world.

It is vice-versa as well…To start with, can I do something for this country. I think this is what you are supposed to think at this point of time. Today should be the day wherein we should start thinking in a different way how best these three components (Academia, Industry, Research Institutions) could be working together, through some tripartite agreement, because that is the need of the hour.”

Further, Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, who is also the Director General, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), said, “We are now passing through the very first year of the ‘Amrit Kaal’ period, which we will be celebrating till 2047. Right at this point of time, the country has two important milestones, one is 2030, which is $5 trillion economy. When this kind of a $ 5 trillin economy is announced by the National leadership as a milestone target, is it not our responsibility to live up to that expectation?

When the national leadership is making a promise, a commitment, an agreement and an announcement, who else will make it in real time that it is, will be and could be possible? it is this place you and me should rise to this occasion.”

Dr. N. Kalaiselvi said, “Now, Data is money, Data is business, Data is science, Data is technology and Data is the future. The Information Technology that you are getting expertise from this Institution, it should be applied in a totally different way for its translation to transform the country in a major way.”

Dr. N. Kalaiselvi added, “The country now requires design in many different forms…Climate change is making us think in all possible directions that how can I ensure safety, security and sustainability to live on this earth. We are not able to even today confirm how best we can make this earth a perfect place to live. This kind of a global warming-related threat that really forces us to think in terms of carbon capture and energy management but at the same time, climate resilient crops and buildings which will require your design aspects.”

FUNDING & PLACEMENTS

The total amount of funding granted to IIITDM Kancheepuram faculty members in the financial year 2022-23 by external funding agencies as sponsored projects was Rs. 3.29 Crore. The funding agencies include DST-SERB, MEITY, DRDL, ISRO, NBHM and TiHAN of different IITs, among others.

The Institute Placement Cell has been collaborating extensively with the industry, corporate firms and other recruiters. In the current year, 176 offers were received by IIITDM Kancheepuram students from 76 companies with the median salary offered being Rs. 11 lakh and an average salary being Rs. 8 lakh.

Addressing the convocation, Dr. Sridhar Vembu, (Padma Shri Awardee), Chairman, Board of Governors, IIITDM Kancheepuram, said, “The greatest advantage that IIITDM Kancheepuram has as an organization is its connectedness and singularity of purpose. Ours is not an unmanageable population with people of different directions. The institute is actually a chosen group of people from different backgrounds trying to realize one idea.

To express that in very technical terms – it is to teach and ideate information technology-enabled design and manufacturing. It is a privilege to work toward a well-defined idea and especially when there are very few organizations concentrating on that. The challenge here is all about understanding, defining, and keeping up with the demands of a world that is so technology-driven.”

Dr. Sridhar Vembu, who is also the Founder-CEO, Zoho Corporation, added, “I am happy to observe that the Institute is proactive in submitting patents and working on industry collaborations. Musings on theoretical worlds seldom solve everyday problems. To solve the issues that we all face in everyday life, we need to observe our environment to understand the gap, we should have a good team to brainstorm and collaborate, and we require a well-supported infrastructure to facilitate iterations of the solutions.”

Dr. Sridhar Vembu concluded, “The collaboration with the industry would give us problems to work on, good teams to brainstorm, and systems to facilitate iteration. The rigour and enthusiasm with which people participate in this process define the culture of that place. I hope our graduands, as ambassadors of the institute, carry that air in them as a part of their personality.”

In order to promote research through interdisciplinary collaboration in areas of rapid development, the Institute has envisaged and implemented a new scheme called SMIRE – Support for Major Interdisciplinary Research Equipment 2023. It provides financial aid of Rs. 6 Crore for the procurement of modern sophisticated research equipment

NIRF RANKINGS

Presenting the Institute Report, Prof. M.V. Kartikeyan, Director, IIITDM Kancheepuram, said, “I proudly announce that in the NIRF Innovation Ranking 2023, IIITDM Kancheepuram is ranked 8th in the country. Most importantly, this is not a one-year occurrence for us…There is a significant improvement in our NIRF ranking too. In 2022 we were ranked 184, and in the 2023 ranking we notched up a position in the 101-150 band.”

Prof. M.V. Kartikeyan added, “MaDeIT Innovation Foundation is our business incubator which onboarded nine companies in 2022-23 taking the current portfolio to 21 companies. The incubator funded Rs. 25 lakh to Canary Biosensors under NIDHI – Seed Support Program and it extended its support to 11 MSMEs through Innovation Voucher Program of Entrepreneurship Development and Innovation Institute, Tamil Nadu Government. iDEX, Innovations for Defence Excellence, an initiative of Defence Innovation Organisation – Ministry of Defence, selected MaDeIT as one of its partner incubators. MaDeIT signed a MoU with IITM Pravartak Technologies in 2022-23.”

Prof. M.V. Kartikeyan also noted that the Chief Guest Dr. Kalaiselvi was the first woman Director General of CSIR and an outstanding scientist who heads the dynamic network of 37 national laboratories, 39 outreach centres, 1 Innovation Complex, and 3 pan-India units.

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