How We’re Shaping the Future of IIT Madras
When you donate to the IIT Madras Foundation, you're doing more than supporting your alma mater — you're investing in the future.
The students who attend IIT Madras come from all walks of life and all corners of the world. From first-generation college students to aspiring women entrepreneurs, your gift supports programs that empower India's brightest minds.
Women Leading IITM
Today, women only make up about one-third of the tech industry. But as the tide begins to turn for the better, IIT Madras is proud to lead the way. The Women Leading IITM initiative elevates women students and faculty to embrace where they truly belong: positions of power.
Innovation and Research
Your donation supports researchers at IIT Madras who are pushing the boundaries of knowledge to meet the needs of today's world. Their cutting-edge findings are innovative solutions to pressing global challenges. From revolutionary battery technology to innovative solid waste combustors, the discoveries emerging from IIT Madras are propelling technology forward.
Merit-Based Scholarships
Every day, we witness greatness in the students at IIT Madras. They come from all corners of India, each with a unique story of academic excellence against the odds. Your generous gift provides merit-based scholarships for economically disadvantaged students, ensuring that financial need does not stand in the way of their ambitions.
Programs & Initiatives
Women Leading IITM (WLI) Endowment
The Women Leading IITM (WLI) program was established to promote and support women leadership at IIT Madras. Set up as an endowed fund through the IITM Foundation, this program seeks to raise $2 million to provide ongoing support for WLI activities. To date, the program has received generous contributions from alumni and has already raised $450K towards its goal.
Top priorities
- Focus on late year PhDs
- Enhance recruitment pipeline
- Innovative projects to address obstacles facing career growth
- Mentorship initiatives for cohorts
- Admin support for women’s initiatives
- Childcare provisions
Top goals
- Increase the percentage of women faculty in Assistant Professorships from 15% to 20%
- Generate 30% of all faculty applications from women candidates
Biggest accomplishments
- Since 2017, enrolled women undergraduates have more than doubled — from 8% to 18%
- Nearly a third of PhD students and senior staff at IIT Madras are women
- Over 30+ pilot programs have been launched to support sexual harassment training, mentorship and a women’s forum
Today another remarkable woman, Preeti Aghalayam, will create the (Tanzanian) Zanzibar campus of IITM, and channeling her inner Jane, it will have pedagogical innovation that will shake the foundations of engineering education. IITM Zanzibar’s unique interdisciplinary curricula will produce graduates exceptionally suited to cutting edge engineering enterprises. Join me in making Director Prof. Preeti successful.
I was in a situation where I had to take care of my baby while completing my research work. The WLI grant was the biggest support that I could get. Now, I have completed my research work and submitted my thesis, and I thank all the donors of WLI.
Innovation and Research
To reach our goal of becoming a top 50 institution in the world, IIT Madras must invest in research and education to become a leading destination for innovation. This means high-quality research, engagement with industry, entrepreneurship and of course, strong alumni involvement and engagement. IIT Madras creates value through technology development that addresses national and global challenges, along with an ambitious plan to get there. With the new Research Campus and IIT Madras Research Park, we are able to establish a culture of innovation for students, faculty and alumni.
Top priorities and goals
- Increase faculty participation in sponsored research and consulting
- Support annual research with an increased budget of over $100M
- Incubate more than 12 to 15 startups annually out of the IITM Incubation Cell
- Commercialize up to 10 research innovations annually
Being a team that works hands-on, it was very difficult to develop the part from home [during COVID-19]. This is where IIT Madras came in and supported us by allowing us to come back to campus safely and continue the manufacturing and testing of the part.
Merit-Based Scholarships
Studying at IIT Madras is a dream for many students. The only criteria to achieve this goal should be merit — nothing else. Yet among the meritorious students, there are many who need financial support to pursue their education at IIT Madras.
While students in need are eligible to apply for government-funded scholarships, these awards only cover about two-thirds of the annual enrollment amount required. Approximately 60 to 75 students per year require additional funding. Alumni contributions to support deserving students will go a long way financially, and enable them to focus on their education.
The scholarship has lifted the financial burden phenomenally for my family for two years. Your generosity inspires me to do the same in future — when I will be capable of giving back to juniors coming from the same background as me.
Project BrIIght Future
IIT Madras has approximately 550 students from underprivileged backgrounds, of which we can only support 150 through existing endowments
Project BrIIghT Future will take the coverage to 100%
IIT-Madras to become the first IIT to eliminate “tuition fee” as a barrier to entry through scholarships set up in perpetuity
The goal is to raise 7M USD (INR 56 Crores) to increase our merit-cum-means endowment. The endowment will allow us to cover 100% of the tuition costs, for deserving students in perpetuity.
Eligibility
- B. Tech. / Dual Degree program students
- Annual parental income between 1 and 5 lakhs ($1250 & $6250)