‘VJTI helped set up IIT Bombay; want to become standalone tech university like COEP’: Director

MUMBAI: Founded in 1887, the Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute – formerly Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute or VJTI – at Matunga, Mumbai, is one of the oldest engineering institutes in the country. It now hopes to become a unitary technological university, like the College of Engineering Pune (COEP) and Laxminarayan Institute of Technology (LIT), Nagpur. During an interview, director Sachin Kore spoke about aligning VJTI’s curriculum with the National Education Policy (NEP), research and entrepreneurial activities on campus and the plans to become a university. Edited excerpts below.

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What changes has VJTI Mumbai seen since you took charge two years ago?

Last year, we launched the VJTI-funded PhD programme, admitting an inaugural cohort of 13 students out of a planned 100. We have also introduced specialised postgraduate (PG) programmes in structural engineering and civil engineering for working professionals, besides a revamped MTech course in artificial intelligence and data science.

VJTI has signed collaborative research and student-staff exchange memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with several universities including Binghamton University at New York, RWTH Aachen University of Germany and Northeastern University at Boston.

We have invested around Rs 18 crore in upgrading undergraduate laboratory equipment and Rs 10 crore in establishing a Central Testing and Instrumentation Facility. We have initiated five major projects, including a multipurpose academic complex.

Can you provide details about the PhD programme?

The institute provides Rs 35,000 - 40,000 monthly scholarship for four years, extendable to a fifth year, so the students can stay on campus and pursue their doctorates, full time.

We realised that this was a key requirement for us to compete with the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and improve our performance in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). While IITs are able to support their PhD scholars, we didn’t have such a provision. As a result, most of our PhD enrollees are visiting scholars teaching at various institutes.

Having full-time doctoral candidates, who are admitted through a rigorous selection process, helps improve research publications and leads to better outcomes.

How is VJTI Matunga Mumbai raising funds for the programme?

They are made available through multiple internal revenue generation (IGR) initiatives. We have recently raised Rs. 5.6 crore through alumni and corporate social responsibility (CSR) donations, in addition to the funds from consultancy and research work. We are also working on the Maharashtra government’s Rs 80 crore Drone Mission in collaboration with IIT Bombay, and have also received Rs 10 crore from the centre’s National Technical Textile Mission (NTTM).

How is the institute implementing NEP?

We started NEP rollout in 2023-24, with a focus on multidisciplinarity, overall development of students and skilling. The students are required to study one of 13 minors on offer for 14 credits, apart from the 162 credits they get from their major. All minors are offered to all students and in most cases, students are allotted their preferred course.

The minors include relatively-uncommon courses, such as defense and aerospace technologies, which are not offered by other institutes.

Most students are interested in artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) and data science. Entrepreneurship is another popular choice. Co-curricular activities are now also credited, with students given a lot of options to choose from.

Does VJTI have the necessary faculty and infrastructure to teach these subjects?

We had teachers for some of the subjects but had to hire more, especially for courses on entrepreneurship and defense technology. We have also hired 21 professors of practice, 11 of whom are regular appointees, while 10 are distinguished faculty.

We have recently recruited 14 regular faculty, taking the total strength of full-time teachers to around 120. There is almost an equal number of temporary and ad-hoc faculty members.

Managing the classes in VJTI’s limited space was a challenge. To overcome it, we have staggered the timetable. The college hours now extend from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, instead of the earlier 9-5 timings, though the classroom duration remains the same.

Is there any concern among VJTI Mumbai faculty about the core engineering subjects being dropped, or their credits reduced, to create space for new subjects?

Only a small part of the existing courses has been altered. New programmes have been brought in without compromising the core courses. In some cases, laboratory and classroom instructions have been combined.

Are there enough internship opportunities for all the students?

Yes. We have the best students of Maharashtra and they shouldn’t find any difficulty getting internships. It may also help improve placement offers, but our primary objective is for students to learn.

Has NEP been introduced at the post-graduation (PG) level?

We haven’t introduced NEP at PG but have tried to align the master’s courses with some provisions of the new policy. For example, PG students can avail of some self-learning courses, which they can pursue through online platforms such as National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) and Coursera, with which we have signed an agreement.

What about UG students? Can they earn credits online?

The UG courses comprise pre-requisites for engineering, which, we believe, should be taught in classrooms. There’s an added challenge of evaluating online courses. We will try the flip classroom model, though.

What is the update on the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in artificial intelligence being established at the institute?

The centre has been set up and is ready to use. Our faculty members are doing research here and contributing to their respective fields. AI tools are being developed for areas as diverse as agriculture, law, medicine and education. Some of our distinguished alumni have been brought on board as experts. The state Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) has so far provided Rs 5 crore funding support.

How is the progress of the VJTI-Technology Business Incubator (TBI)?

It’s excellent. We have incubated 57 start-ups till date, which have cumulatively generated a revenue of more than Rs 10 crore. We work in a variety of areas such as Clean-Tech, EV, energy, internet of things (IoT), AI/ML and cybersecurity.

The institute is in the process of registering a section 8 (non-profit) company, which will allow us to take equity in our ventures. It will allow the incubator to be sustainable and help with other activities, as we currently rely on Department of Science and Technology (DST) funds.

The institute’s old and limited infrastructure is a challenge in further expanding the incubator. We need to look for additional space elsewhere.

Why is the institute aspiring to be a university?

We are a renowned institute that has helped establish different IITs, including IIT Bombay. Our alumni have achieved great success and brought laurels to the institute. And hence, we wish to become an international technological university to offer world class education and collaborate with other international universities. A detailed proposal has been submitted to the state government to recognise VJTI as a standalone technological university on the lines of COEP Pune [College of Engineering Pune, now known as COEP Technological University]. After becoming a varsity, we will have the flexibility to start our own courses and hire faculty members.

Has there been any response from the state so far?

The proposal is in process.

Founded in 1887, VJTI at Matunga, Mumbai, is one of the oldest engineering institutes in the country. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

FAQs

Q1. Is VJTI better than IIT Bombay?

IIT Bombay is generally considered more prestigious and ranks higher in national and international rankings. It’s one of India’s premier institutions with more competitive admission standards, stronger research output, and better infrastructure.

While IIT Bombay held NIRF Rank 3 last year for engineering, Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) was at Rank 149. IIT Bombay also ranked 48th in QS Asia University Rankings 2025, and bagged the 28th spot for mineral and mining engineering in the QS World University Rankings for the same year.

Q2. What is VJTI cutoff?

The VJTI cutoff for 2024 BTech admissions ranged from 99.89 percentile in BTech computer engineering to 99.04 in BTech mechanical engineering. Last year’s closing ranks for computer engineering and information technology were 208 and 319, respectively; while that for textile technology went below 11400.

Q3. Can we get VJTI through JEE Mains?

The Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute in Mumbai admits engineering students through the state entrance examination MHT CET as well as the national-level JEE Main exam. MHT CET 2025 starts from April 19 and the JEE Main 2025 results were declared on April 19.

Q4. What is the highest package in VJTI?

As per the data submitted for NIRF 2025, the median salary for the four-year BTech batch that graduated last year was Rs 10,90,000 per annum.

Q5. What are the fees of VJTI?

The fees for four years of BTech at VJTI is Rs 3.34 lakh while that of three-year MCA is Rs 1.70 lakh. The fees for diploma courses are Rs 36,540.