The third overseas campus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) is expected to come up in Sri Lanka. This proposal was made in November last year during the presentation of the 2024 Budget by Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who concurrently holds the position of finance minister.
According to reports, the Sri Lankan government is discussing this ambitious endeavour with IIT Madras.
A source quoted by the news agency PTI stated, "A high-level delegation recently visited the Chennai campus to discuss the future roadmap. The talks are ongoing, and the campus will likely be established in Kandy."
The source further mentioned, "The delegation also visited the Research Park at the campus and interacted with officials about possible areas of engagement."
In 2017, the Indian government announced plans to offer admission opportunities to meritorious Sri Lankan students at IITs in India starting from the 2017-18 academic sessions.
Confirming the ongoing discussions, a spokesperson from IIT Madras said, "Talks with Sri Lankan authorities are in the preliminary stages for IIT Madras to set up a campus in that country. A delegation from Sri Lanka visited our campus, and soon a delegation from IIT Madras will visit Sri Lanka for a feasibility study."
With the announcement of an offshore campus in Tanzania's Zanzibar last year, the proposed Sri Lanka site will be IIT Madras' second overseas campus if it comes to fruition.
Offering two full-time academic programs, the institute in Tanzania started as a temporary campus in November of last year. The four-year Bachelor of Science in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence and the two-year Master of Technology in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence are the two full-time programs offered.
IIT Delhi followed suit and officially agreed to open a campus in Abu Dhabi with the UAE government.
Moreover, the United Kingdom has expressed interest in hosting an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) offshore campus, with some UK universities already in discussions with IITs to explore this possibility. Requests from the Middle East and South Asian countries for IIT campuses have also been received.
To facilitate the opening of IIT campuses in foreign locations, the central government formed a 17-member committee.
