IIT Madras Launches School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has formally launched a School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, aiming to create a “world-class ecosystem” for 00deep-tech startups. Inaugurated on August 4, 2025 by IITM Director Prof. V. Kamakoti with faculty, students and alumni present, the new school is designed to institutionalize the institute’s thriving startup culture. It reflects IIT Madras’s goal to put itself on the global map of entrepreneurial universities while reinforcing India’s ‘Make in India – Make for the World’ vision.
Vision and Goals: Building a Global Deep-Tech Startup Ecosystem
The new School’s purpose is to unify and scale up IIT Madras’s innovation activities under one umbrella. According to the institute, the School will “create a world-class ecosystem to establish deep-tech start-ups” and help the campus join leading entrepreneurial universities worldwide. Director V. Kamakoti noted that IIT Madras is already generating “1.2 patents a day” and saw over 100 startups last year, making it time to “institutionalize our Innovation and Entrepreneurship efforts” into a formal School. In effect, the School is meant to turn IIT Madras’s innovation stack from the Entrepreneurship Cell and Centre for Innovation to incubators like Nirmaan and GDC into a coherent pipeline that carries ideas from classrooms all the way to market, and eventually to IPOs. This formal organization of entrepreneurship activities is intended to become a unique selling point for IIT Madras and a template for innovation in higher education.
Boosting India’s Deep-Tech Startup Ecosystem
IIT Madras already hosts India’s largest deep-tech startup ecosystem. The institute’s incubation and support initiatives have spawned over 475 startups valued at more than ₹50,000 crore (about US$6 billion), creating some 11,000 jobs and yielding over 700 patents with ₹12,000+ crore in funding. With the new School, IIT Madras aims to scale up this momentum by providing more structured academic and financial support to founders. For example, the school plans to launch dedicated funding mechanisms for early-stage and scaling startups and run regular IP clinics to help student innovators protect and commercialize their ideas. IITM’s alumni network has also rallied behind the initiative: the newly created IITM Alumni Fund for startups has already gathered commitments for nearly its ₹200 crore target. Together, these measures signal a long-term commitment to nurturing India’s deep-tech ventures and strengthening the country’s startup landscape.
New Academic and Support Programs for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
The School will offer a suite of academic programs and support services tailored to entrepreneurs. Key offerings include:
- A Minor in Entrepreneurship for undergraduate students.
- An M.S. (Master of Science) in Entrepreneurship for graduate students.
- A Ph.D. program in Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
- An Innovation Doctorate, an industry-focused research degree.
- An Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) program, which brings experienced professionals back into academia to build startups.
Beyond degrees, the School plans financial and mentoring support: it will establish IITM-specific seed and growth funding channels, and run regular IP and business clinics to help founders file patents and connect with markets. These initiatives are designed to give students and alumni structured guidance, from coursework to co-working space to investment, so that promising ideas can evolve into successful deep-tech companies.
Opportunities for JEE Advanced Aspirants and Young Innovators
As a premier IIT, Madras attracts thousands of top JEE Advanced qualifiers each year. The new School of Innovation provides these incoming undergraduates with direct pathways into entrepreneurship. IITM will now integrate startup training into the curriculum: for instance, it has introduced an entrepreneurship course in the second year of B.Tech and will offer a formal Entrepreneurship minor for undergraduates. This means that a student joining IIT Madras via JEE Advanced can supplement their engineering studies with hands-on startup education. According to IITM leaders, the School’s programs from the Minor to the MS and PhD tracks ensure that even fresh IIT entrants have opportunities to learn innovation management, develop prototypes, and seek funding. In short, the School opens new career pathways for engineering students – including those entering through JEE – to become startup founders or innovators.
Leadership: Faculty Driving IIT Madra’s Innovation Push
The School will be led by Prof. Prabhu Rajagopal, a mechanical engineering professor and noted innovator. A Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awardee and serial “faculty-entrepreneur”, Rajagopal has long guided student innovation at IITM as head of the Centre for Innovation and the Nirmaan pre-incubator. His experience in building deep-tech startups from campus labs gives him a vision for mentoring new founders. Other senior faculty and staff are also championing the effort. Dean of Alumni & Corporate Relations Prof. Ashwin Mahalingam, who sits on the advisory board, said the School will “tie all of these threads together” from evangelization to incubation, ensuring ideas can smoothly progress from concept to eventual IPO. Director Kamakoti and Prof. Anbarasu Manivannan (Head of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies) have likewise pledged academic and industry support to make the initiative a success. Together, this leadership team combines academic rigor with entrepreneurial know-how to steer IIT Madras’s deep-tech mission forward.
Strategic Impact on India’s Education and Industry
The creation of the Innovation School is widely seen as a strategic move for both IIT Madras and India’s higher education ecosystem. By formalizing entrepreneurship in its academic structure, IIT Madras strengthens its position as a trendsetter among engineering universities. The initiative aligns with national objectives – echoing slogans like“Make in India, Make for the World” – by aiming to convert lab research into commercial solutions. IITM leaders note that the School’s efforts will not only benefit the campus but have global implications: as one dean put it, IIT Madras is leading efforts not only for India, but the entire world in innovation education. Over the long term, the School’s goal is to produce a new generation of homegrown deep-tech companies and unicorns, leveraging India’s engineering talent. With strong faculty leadership, committed funding (both internal and from alumni), and a clear vision, IIT Madras’s School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship is poised to become a model for boosting India’s startup ecosystem.
Sources: Official IIT Madras press release and news reports.
