IIT Bombay launches first-ever US sub-campus in partnership with SUNY Old Westbury

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay and the State University of New York (SUNY) at Old Westbury have announced a partnership to develop new education and research opportunities in science and engineering at the university's campus in Long Island, New York.

The announcement was made during a virtual meeting held on June 26 in the presence of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi, India's Ambassador to the United States Vinay Mohan Kwatra, IIT Bombay Director Shireesh Kedare, and SUNY Old Westbury President Timothy E. Sams.

As part of the collaboration, the two institutions signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) to jointly develop academic programmes at the undergraduate, postgraduate, and research levels. The partnership will initially focus on emerging fields such as artificial intelligence while also promoting collaborative research.

IIT Bombay-SUNY partnership to focus on AI, engineering

According to the institutions, the collaboration will also include faculty and researcher exchanges, joint research projects, and the organisation of conferences and symposia. These initiatives will begin while both institutions work towards developing new degree programmes.

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"IIT Bombay is excited to work with SUNY Old Westbury, whose leadership is committed to quality education and is forward looking in its outlook. Considering that our strengths are complementary, we believe that our partnership has the ability to scale great heights," IIT Bombay Director Shireesh Kedare said.

SUNY Old Westbury President Timothy E. Sams said IIT Bombay is recognised globally for academic excellence.

"We are excited to establish a direct partnership that advances teaching, innovation and excellence in disciplines like physics and engineering with a goal of creating a robust IIT Bombay presence on our campus so that together we can prepare the next generation of leaders who will fuel success across our region, state, nation and world," he said.

India-US higher education collaboration

The two institutions thanked the Government of India, the Embassy of India, the Consulate General of India in New York, and Consul General Binaya S. Pradhan for supporting the collaboration.

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra said the partnership would strengthen academic and technological cooperation between the two institutions while promoting deeper collaboration in research, innovation, and higher education.

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Higher education secretary Vineet Joshi described the partnership as "a new and proud chapter in the India-US partnership in higher education and research" and said it would be among the most significant collaborations between the two countries.

Welcoming the initiative, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the partnership would create opportunities for students and academicians in both India and the US while contributing to the development of cutting-edge technologies in frontier science.

Calling it "a living corridor of knowledge" between India and the United States, Pradhan urged both institutions to work towards developing future-ready students and technologies that contribute to global good.