New Delhi: Indian Institute of Technology and IISC is unlikely to be demolished in the list of top 50 universities in the world, unless they run full medical colleges, Professor V Kamkoti, Director of IIT-Madras, said that the institute is considering setting up a medical college to remove this gap in its portfolio.In a special conversation with Toi, Kamakoti said that IIT-M has already started internal discussion on the establishment of a medical college, which will be integrated with its engineering and science departments, as part of its long-term vision, and is looking for a large hospital.In addition, the institution has planned a global outreach through its proposed research centers in Dubai, Malaysia and Germany and a stability complex in Puducherry, another important parameter for the global ranking that falls behind in Indian institutions. What is an unconventional step, IIT-M has formally given a platform to help its students prepare for the Civil Services Examination.“If you want to get into the top 50 (in the global rankings), you should have a medical school, Kamakoti insisted,” Universities of the top order have all global campus, deep research cooperation, and, seriously, medical schools “.He said: “This is not only about ranking – it is about enabling convergence in areas such as healthcare, biomedical engineering and public health. A medical college will increase the depth and social impact of our research”.On the plan to develop a stability-centric campus in Puducherry, the director said, “This campus will be a living laboratory for climate, water and energy research”. Explaining the move, he said: “Stability is now a global benchmark in the ranking. So we have started the School of Sustainability under the school for interdisciplinary studies. It is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. Each project should be echoed with these goals-from Green Tech to Zero-Eating Housing. Aurovile cooperation in Puducherry is a part of this vision ”.To expand the global footprint, the institution will go for research cooperation and set up satellite centers in Dubai, Malaysia and Germany. These will encourage Indian researchers to work on global problems and offer Indian students to learn across the border.“It is called IITM Global,” Kamakoti said, description of the vision behind the international outreach. “If you solve an issue for India, you have solved it for the world. Our IITM Global will take them to Malaysia, Germany, Dubai (this academic year) and beyond it.”Kamakoti also highlighted the initiative of IIT-M to nurture engineers for civil services. To enable this, the institute has created a platform Pragati to guide and support UPSC candidates on the campus. He said, “We want our students to start early – during BTech or MTECH – with structured preparations, colleagues interaction, and access to the faculty and civil servants who have gone on that path,” he said.“We are no longer a tech school – we are shaping India’s future in many ways,” said Kamakoti.
