The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur has launched a $1 billion fundraising campaign, with ₹4,155 crore already committed towards its target.
The campaign, titled ‘Greater Than Us’, was launched by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on October 14. The institute plans to raise the funds by March 2029.
The campaign brings alumni, donors, companies and government partners together to fund these projects.
The funds will support research infrastructure, scholarships, faculty recruitment and programmes focused on deep-tech research and entrepreneurship.
“What IIT Kanpur is setting out to build is greater than any one of us. It is an investment in the young Indians who will build this country’s future,” said Prof Manindra Agrawal, Director of IIT Kanpur.
“India cannot borrow the technologies that will define its future. We have to build them,” he added.
At the launch, IIT Kanpur signed a memorandum of understanding with alumnus Rahul Gautam, who has committed ₹180 crore to establish the Gautam School of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (G-SINE) at the institute’s Noida campus.
The school will focus on training entrepreneurs and technology leaders in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital health, biotechnology, drones and advanced manufacturing.
G-SINE will have its own full-time faculty and degree programmes. It is scheduled to launch in July 2027 with an MBA in Technology and Entrepreneurship.
The school will work alongside the proposed Deep Tech Hub at the Noida campus, giving students access to facilities to develop products based on research. It will also draw on the institute’s Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC), which has incubated 571 startups.
The campaign is organised around three pillars: foundation, talent and frontier.
Foundation has a target of ₹5,000 crore and will fund research infrastructure and campus facilities.
A key project is a ₹524 crore Central Research Facility that will provide researchers access to advanced equipment. This includes a ₹160 crore semiconductor and device processing centre with a clean room, along with spectroscopy and microscopy facilities.
The institute also plans to establish a ₹200 crore high-performance computing facility equipped with advanced graphics processing units (GPUs) to support AI research and scientific simulations.
Campus development forms another part of the plan. Four new halls of residence, each with a capacity of 1,000 students, are under construction. The first is expected to be ready by June 2027. The institute also plans to build 96 faculty apartments and a Center for Mental Health and Wellbeing.
The talent pillar has a target of ₹3,000 crore. It will support students, doctoral researchers, faculty members, entrepreneurs and future leaders through scholarships, fellowships and faculty programmes.
IIT Kanpur plans to expand financial support for eligible students, increase doctoral fellowships and fund faculty chairs, young faculty fellowships and a global visiting faculty programme.
The institute is also changing its faculty recruitment and student admission processes. It has introduced market-linked faculty hiring, first used at the Gangwal School, with 150 positions planned. It has also opened admission routes through hackathons and olympiads.
The campaign will support student entrepreneurs working in sectors such as defence, aerospace, medical technology, clean technology and agricultural technology.
The frontier pillar has already received commitments of ₹1,556 crore, exceeding its original target of ₹1,000 crore.
The funds will support research and development in AI, quantum technologies, cybersecurity, semiconductors, drones, medical technology and sustainability.
Planned projects include a Quantum Technology Centre that will bring quantum hardware and software development together, and a Centre of Excellence for Semiconductor Packaging to support India’s chip assembly and testing capabilities.
IIT Kanpur also plans to establish a medical devices prototyping and testing facility. The initiative comes as India imports 80% of its high-end medical devices, according to the institute.
Another planned programme will focus on drug discovery for cancer, metabolic disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.
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