IIT Madras launches finishing school ‘UDYOG’ to equip BTech biotechnology students with industry-ready skills

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has launched an industry-oriented finishing school, ‘UDYOG’ (Upskilling and Development for Young Graduates), to equip BTech graduates with practical skills and professional competencies required by the biotechnology and biomanufacturing sectors.

The first batch of the IIT Madras’s finishing school will start on January 18, and the early-bird registration closes on December 15. Interested students can submit applications through code.iitm.ac.in/iitm-ticel-biofoundry-finishing-school.

According to the IIT Madras press release, UDYOG aims to bridge the gap between academic education and industry requirements through structured training. It includes online courses, laboratory training, pilot-scale exposure, and opportunities for internships.

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IIT Madras’s finishing school

Pre-final-year and final-year students pursuing BTech, MTech, and MSc degrees in biotechnology and allied disciplines, across all colleges and institutes in India can apply for admission to the school. The finishing school will follow a three-stage training pathway.

3-stage training

• The first stage comprises three months of online learning delivered through the Centre for Outreach and Digital Education (CODE), IIT Madras, supplemented by lectures from industry experts and demonstration videos illustrating industrial practices.

• Those who complete the online component will be considered for selection to a four-week intensive hands-on training programme at the IIT Madras Biofoundry. The practical component is designed to provide exposure to laboratory processes and biomanufacturing workflows.

• Following the hands-on training, shortlisted candidates will have opportunities to engage with industry partners and participate in interviews for long-term internships, providing a potential pathway from academic learning to workplace experience.

“It is being launched through SynBioME – the IIT Madras-TICEL Biofoundry, which focuses on advancing biotechnology research, innovation, biomanufacturing and skill development. It is coordinated by Guhan Jayaraman, professor, department of biotechnology, IIT Madras, who serves as the principal coordinator,” IIT Madras press release said.

IIT Madras director V Kamakoti inaugurated ‘IITM-Biofoundry Finishing School - UDYOG’ at the campus in the presence of faculty, students, researchers and industry stakeholders.

While addressing the launch event, the IIT Madras director said: “AI also means Academia-Industry. It is becoming an absolute necessity that every discipline of Science and Engineering must look at this AI with care to make themselves relevant to the modern world. UDYOG is yet another effort taken by IIT Madras in this direction."