IIT Kharagpur Unveils Major Global Initiative for Student Internships and Research
In a landmark move to expand its international presence, IIT Kharagpur has announced a comprehensive program to provide financial and institutional backing to at least 100 students pursuing BTech, five-year dual degree, and MTech courses. This initiative, launched as part of the institute's platinum jubilee celebrations, will enable these students to undertake international internships and study abroad experiences through the semester away program, starting this summer.
Addressing Financial Barriers to Global Opportunities
Dean of International Relations Anandaroop Bhattacharya highlighted a critical issue: while the curriculum mandates internships for these students, many often decline international opportunities due to prohibitive costs. "Similarly, it can be cost prohibitive for most of our students to go and stay a semester in Europe, the USA, Australia, or Singapore without financial aid," he explained. The new support scheme aims to remove these financial hurdles, with applications already receiving an overwhelming response. Bhattacharya emphasized that students will be thoroughly screened to ensure merit-based selection.
Enhanced Support for PhD and Postdoctoral Scholars
Beyond undergraduate and master's students, IIT Kharagpur is also rolling out enhanced financial support for PhD and postdoctoral scholars. This will facilitate long-term research stays at top international laboratories, going beyond mere attendance at conferences. The institute's director, Suman Chakraborty, stated, "The world's most consequential problems will not be solved in silos or within borders. Through these platinum jubilee initiatives, IIT Kharagpur is positioning itself as a global convergence point, where the brightest minds come together to co-create solutions that matter to humanity."
Boosting International Student and Researcher Intake
As part of its ongoing efforts, IIT Kharagpur aims to significantly increase the number of international students, research scholars, and postdoctoral researchers on campus. Currently hosting over 60 foreign students, the institute plans to increase this intake by at least two to three times in the next two years. To attract top talent, merit-based fellowships will be offered, alongside programs like the Global Challenge Scheme and International Summer Research Programme, which provide fully funded, long-duration research stays for international participants.
Innovative Academic and Research Collaborations
The institute will launch an international co-teaching scheme, bringing leading academics, industry experts, and researchers as co-instructors into undergraduate and postgraduate curricula. Additionally, a Platinum Jubilee Bilateral Research Initiation Scheme is being introduced, offering Rs 50 lakh seed funding per project for joint research with premier global partners. This initiative requires mandatory co-investment from partner institutes and targets a 10-fold multiplier in externally funded outcomes, along with joint supervision, publications, and two-way faculty and student mobility.
Chakraborty added, "We are creating merit-based fellowships to position the institute as a destination of choice for outstanding global scholars. This is internationalisation with purpose, scale, and ambition, befitting India's first IIT in its milestone year." These measures collectively aim to foster a more interconnected and impactful academic environment, aligning with global educational trends.
