Hyderabad: Buoyed by research and international collaborations, the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT-H) saw its QS World University Ranking jump 76 places, from 664 to 588, marking the institute’s most significant leap on the global charts to date. As per the rankings, released on Thursday, IIT-H also scored well in sustainability and academic reputation.
But research citations remained the strongest driver of this growth. The metric measures how often IIT-H’s published work is referenced by researchers around the world, and the institute recorded one of its best-ever performances on this parameter this year.
“Our strongest parameter continues to be citations per faculty,” said Prof Saurabh Shandilya, the institute’s QS ranking nodal coordinator, stating how IIT-H has emerged as one of India’s fastest-growing technology institutions. “International research collaborations is another area where we performed strongly,” he added.
Among the many research projects, across strategic areas, that IIT-H is driving at the moment are those in 6G communications, autonomous navigation, semiconductors, AI-embedded engineering, healthcare and quantum technologies, and smart mobility among others.
The institute’s long-running partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which covers joint research, faculty exchanges and access to Japanese funding, too has supported its international score for several years. “We are also expanding partnerships with universities in Europe and the US. There is more improvement needed in this area, but we are working on it,” Prof Saurabh said.
IIT-H director, Prof BS Murthy, credited the result to the people behind it and said that it was because of a “lot of hard work by the brilliant faculty” and “an excellent student base”. He was, however, quick to add that ranking itself is not what the institute is chasing. “While the rankings are important, what is more important is the byproduct of this ranking,” he said. The institute’s current priority is promoting product-based PhDs, a model in which industry directly funds a research scholar to develop a specific product.
This year, 25 such positions have been opened for the first time at IIT-H. “India needs builders who can come up with technologies and products for India to not only become Atmanirbhar but also contribute towards a Viksit Bharat,” Murthy said.
Sustainability, too, is helping propel the institute’s growth. “In fact, has been the second major contributor to this jump in rating,” said Prof Saurabh Shandilya, listing out the many initiatives taken up on campus -- solar power generation, campus shuttle services and a bicycle subsidy scheme, under which the institute covers half the cycle’s purchase cost for students. These are all tracked by a dedicated green office that also runs plantation drives across the campus.
Attracting more international students and faculty— a longstanding challenge for Indian universities seeking greater global recognition — remains a priority going forward, Prof Saurabh said.
France Event
The week added another feather to IIT-H’s cap. At an event in France where India showcased 130 startups and technologies from higher education institutions, three were from the premier institute in the city. The event was attended by roughly 2,500 investors and corporates, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi alongside the French president.
