(Photo: Prof. Rangan Banerjee, Director, IIT Delhi)

New Delhi: IIT Delhi will hold its 55th Annual Convocation on August 10, 2024. Shri. Hari S. Bhartia, Founder and Co-Chairman, Jubilant Bhartia Group, and a Distinguished Alumnus of IIT Delhi (1979 batch, B.Tech. Chemical Engineering), will address the graduating students as the Chief Guest. 

Prof. Rangan Banerjee, Director, IIT Delhi, addressed the media at a press conference on Thursday, announcing that over 2600 students will receive their degrees at the 55th Convocation. Out of the total graduating students, 25% are women. 

More than 475 PhD graduates will be awarded their degrees at the convocation, marking a 35% increase from the previous year. This also portrays the Institute’s emphasis on research. Of the total graduating PhD students, 42% are women. 

The youngest graduate, a BTech degree awardee, is less than 20 years, while the oldest, a PhD awardee, is 63.

In addition to the students graduating from B.Tech. and Dual degree programs, students graduating from the PhD, MBA, MS (Research), M.Des., M.Tech, Master of Public Policy, M.Tech. under Advance Standing, PG D.I.I.T. (Naval Construction), Joint PG Diploma in VLFM, D.I.I.T. (PG), and M.Sc. programs will also receive their degrees and diplomas at the convocation.

This year also marks our first graduates in two UG programmes (B.Tech. in Materials Engineering and B.Tech. in Engineering and Computational Mechanics) and four PG programmes (M.Tech. in Machine Intelligence and Data Science, M.Tech. in Biomolecular and Bioprocess Engineering, M.S.(R) in Transportation Safety and Injury Prevention, and M.S.(R) in Automotive Research and Tribology). 

A total of 28 international students will receive their degrees at the convocation ceremony. Out of 28, 4 each are from Sudan and Ethiopia, 3 each from Tanzania and Uganda, 2 each from Bangladesh and Burkina Faso, and 1 each from a number of other countries, including the USA, Venezuela, etc.

At the 55th convocation, the Institute will honour ten of its esteemed alumni with the prestigious Alumni Awards 2024, i.e., the Distinguished Alumni Award and the Graduates of Last Decade (GOLD) Award (awardees’ list).

Some of the new academic programmes launched at IIT Delhi in AY 2024-25:
•    M.A. in Culture, Society, Thought by the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences 
•    M.Sc. in Biological Sciences by the Kusuma School of Biological Sciences
•    Executive MBA by the Department of Management Studies

International Students at IIT Delhi
In the academic year 2023-24, the Institute on boarded 44 international students enrolled in various postgraduate programs. Out of 44, 10 are enrolled in the PhD program, and 34 are in different master courses. 

The Director, IIT Delhi, said that the Institute has made significant strides in supporting its international students and fostering global partnerships throughout the academic year.

• Launch of Sustenance and Distress Fund for International Students: The fund aimed at providing critical financial assistance to international students under extraordinary circumstances (travel to home country to attend funeral, support for sustenance). This fund supported four international students this year, each receiving Rs 50,000.
• Student Exchange Program: In the last academic year, 24 IIT Delhi students went to different institutes in France, Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Hong Kong for semester exchange Similarly, IIT Delhi hosted 19 international students from France, Hong Kong, Sweden, the US, Ethiopia, Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, and Uganda. 

IIT Delhi-Abu Dhabi Campus
Addressing the media, Prof. Rangan Banerjee said that IIT Delhi-Abu Dhabi plans to commence its first undergraduate programs in September 2024. These will be in Computer Science & Engineering and Energy Engineering. All infrastructural requirements, including laboratories and hostel facilities, are ready for the launch of the two UG programs.

The planned intake of total 60 students in the two UG programs, with 30 in each, will consist of 20 students who have qualified JEE (Advanced) 2024 and 40 students through a new entrance test called the Combined Admission Entrance Test (CAET). 

Of the 40 students to be selected through CAET, 20 seats are allocated for UAE nationals and 20 seats for expatriates in the UAE (including Indian expatriates) and international students.

The Abu Dhabi campus is working towards setting up the environment for a vibrant student life, such as student clubs, entrepreneurship opportunities, and recreational activities. It is in active discussions with industry and partners in the UAE and the Gulf region, and research, innovation, and entrepreneurship activities are expected to start in short order.

Plans are underway to establish a permanent campus of IIT Delhi-Abu Dhabi.

At present, faculty from the Institute’s Delhi campus are being seconded to the Abu Dhabi campus after a selection process ratified by the Board. In due course, there will be faculty recruitment for the Abu Dhabi campus as well, in line with faculty recruitment standards of IIT Delhi and following similar processes, to ensure the quality of education on the Abu Dhabi campus is as per the standards established on the Delhi campus.
Addressing the media, Prof. Rangan Banerjee highlighted a number of steps taken by IIT Delhi to support its students.

•    Jaagte Raho Campaign – “Help, Report, Support”. Variants of “buddy system” were implemented on campus.
•    Beating the Blues Campaign – dealing with personal challenges. Increase in number of on-campus counselors          and making counseling services available 24x7 with a very short in-person response time. 
•    Academic Progress Group – creating a pool of residential handholding to see the finish line. Specific on-campus       accommodation earmarked for students who need extra assistance to complete their graduation requirements.
•    Strengthening of peer-mentorship and faculty-mentorship initiatives both inside and outside the classrooms.
•    Owing to the growing postgraduate population on campus, we have increased the postgraduate student                     representation in the Senate.
•    Enhancing interaction of students with alumni through various channels such as alumni Interaction Dinner/Meal          in hostels and a Placement Related Visiting Alumni Interaction Lounge (PREVAIL)

Enhancing Accessibility and Inclusivity on Campus

Admission of students with disabilities at IIT Delhi has grown in recent years, with about 26 students with disability enrolling in the UG programme in 2023. This year, 32 students with disabilities have enrolled in undergraduate programs. Prof. Banerjee said that IIT Delhi is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and holistic environment for all students, including those with disabilities.

Over the past year, the institute has implemented several initiatives to enhance accessibility and inclusivity on campus. 
•    Hans Foundation, in collaboration with the Alumni Endowment Office, has provided scholarships to 10 first-year           B. Tech students with disabilities. 
•    Introduction of diversity hiring practices in the campus placement drive by the Office of Career Services (OCS)          aims to enhance employment opportunities for students with disabilities, ensuring equitable access to career                 prospects. 
•    Introduction of accessible-height tables and elevated wheelchair in laboratories 
•    Accessible e-cart making transportation convenient for PwDs.  
•    Ramps in classrooms, braille signage in lifts, and braille name plates 
•    Accessible restroom for PwDs 
•    Designated parking signages put in place for easy parking access to PwDs

Alumni Connect
The IIT Delhi alumni are stepping up their engagement with the Institute. To give a few examples, Venture Studio, an alumni-led entrepreneurship training programme for students, has been launched. An alumni mentorship fair was organised and the alumni are also supporting student placements.

The Endowment Fund at IIT Delhi is continuously growing, with pledges reaching Rs. 445 crore and realized contributions reaching Rs. 277 crore at a cumulative level since its inception. During FY 2023-24, the Endowment Fund also welcomed 250 new donors, underscoring the expanded outreach by the Institute and engagement by the alumni.

Research & Development
In FY 2023-24, the Industrial Research & Development (IRD) Unit at IIT Delhi sanctioned 299 sponsored research projects worth Rs 352.19 crore and 349 consultancies worth Rs 32.12 crore.

Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) at IIT Delhi sanctioned 81 projects (research, technology development, and consulting) in FY 2023-24 valued at Rs. 52.56 crores. FITT, IIT Delhi also filed for 39 IP and shepherded 3 licensing deals worth Rs. 24.2 lakhs plus royalty.

Corporate Connect
On the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) front, the Institute has successfully engaged several prominent companies, including Toshiba, Volvo Group, EXL Services, Tata Consultancy Services, Agilent technologies, and NXP Semiconductors. These collaborations span a wide range of impactful areas like Empowering Women Entrepreneurship, Energy, Environment and Sustainability and Scholarships for Students. These partnerships reflect our commitment to addressing critical societal challenges and advancing our mission through collaborative and impactful CSR initiatives.

IIT Delhi Sonipat Campus
Currently, the largest unit on the IIT Delhi Sonipat campus is the Central Research Facility (CRF). The facility houses 30 advanced instruments worth Rs 150 cr making it one of the largest facilities of its kind in the country. This facility is available to users from all across India. The Sonipat campus also houses an atmospheric observatory run by the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences. Built in collaboration with IMD, NASA, ISRO, and the University of Helsinki, this is the first and the only comprehensive atmospheric observatory in North India that measures weather, climate, and air pollution at the same location to help understand and develop models of the earth system.

Continuing Education Programmes
A total of 108 programmes were conducted/launched by the Institute's Continuing Education Programme (CEP) unit, a statutory body for conducting Certificate/ Training Programmes and approximately 5530 participants (Students/Working Professionals from diversified fields) were trained and benefited in the cutting-edge Science, Technology, Engineering and Management areas in the academic year 2023-24. Blockchain, AI, Data Science, ML, Quantum Computing, and EV are some popular programmes offered by IIT Delhi under the aegis of CEP.

Google Drive link for more Convocation photos- https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ngrjuwpdQICYACUuDouMfE-AjLxA5op8?usp=sharing

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