Established in 2015, the Indian Institute of Technology Palakkad is dedicated to fostering a learning community committed to the pursuit of knowledge, one that re-imagines, ideates, experiments and innovates, thereby becoming a change agent for a better world. Having begun with just 120 students in July 2015, IIT Palakkad has since grown into an establishment with nearly a thousand five hundred students and appreciable human resources in key positions. IIT Palakkad aims to become a multi-disciplinary institution with 5000 students by its 15th year. The Institute recognizes the imperative for collective growth, in collaboration with industry and other academic institutions, and emphasizes blue-sky research and directed research as two essential pillars of technology development. The Institute embraces a vision to be a leader in cross-disciplinary inquiries and to contribute to the potential that India’s current median age being 28.2 years represents for the country and the world, encapsulated in the Institute’s motto, “Nurturing minds for a better world".
In 2023, IIT Palakkad commenced full-fledged operations on its permanent campus, located by the scenic foothills of the Sahyadri mountain range, after which it is named. The Sahyadri campus sprawls across 504 acres and houses facilities for a range of academic, administration, and research activities. The academic block ‘Saraswati’, features a classroom Complex for around 2000 students. It also has a digitalized Central Library with about 11000+ printed copies and many digital resources already accessible to the teaching and student fraternity. The administrative block on campus is the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Block, Verghese Kurian Block is a Classroom cum Laboratory Complex, and the Sangraha Block features four precast buildings. Additionally, the campus houses cutting-edge laboratories and centers like the Smart AgriTech Centre for Advanced Research and Development (SATCARD), the Global Sanitation Centre of Excellence (GSCOE) lab, Environmental Engineering lab, and a Central Instrumentation Facility (CIF). The Institute is also in the process of setting up a sophisticated NMR facility. Additionally, the campus has two hostels, ‘Malhar’ and ‘Saveri’, and a dining hall cum kitchen complex ‘Kedaram’. To augment the gradually expanding facilities on Sahyadri campus, the transit campus in close proximity and functional since 2019, Nila, houses an academic space ‘Samgatha’, a laboratory complex ‘Manogatha’, essential facilities such as the Institute Clinic, an Amenity Center, the Csquare Innovation lab, and an Auditorium, besides the ‘Brindavani’ and ‘Tilang’ hostels and an Air Quality monitoring weather station.
The Institute offers an extensive range of programs, including five B. Tech. programmes, ten M. Tech. programmes, and three M. Sc. programmes, catering to a diverse student body of over nearly 1500 individuals. To ensure that graduates are equipped to thrive in an ever-evolving professional space, IIT Palakkad has been implementing a Credit Based Curriculum (CBC) since 2022-23. This revamped curriculum promotes interdisciplinary learning and offers students the flexibility to choose electives beyond the confines of their major discipline, enabling them to explore their full potential and diverse interests.
Research pursuits at IIT Palakkad prioritize areas of utmost significance to the local ecosystem, including Agricultural Engineering and Food Science, Water Resources and Hydrology, Geotechnical Engineering, Ecology and Sustainability, and Health and Biomedical Sciences & Engineering. The incubator arm of IIT Palakkad recognized as a Technology Business Incubator by Startup India, TECHIN, is dedicated to nurturing early-stage startups and aspiring entrepreneurs and guiding them on their journey to setting up successful and sustainable businesses. TECHIN’s mission is to provide comprehensive support to innovators, including financial assistance, expert mentorship, skill development, business support services, and access to state-of-the-art R&D facilities. IIT Palakkad has incorporated IPTIF (a section-8 company) as one among the 25 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIH) across India, backed by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India under its National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-physical Systems (NM-ICPS). IPTIF works to foster an innovation ecosystem conducive to advancing cutting-edge technologies and products, nurturing deep-tech startups and entrepreneurs, enhancing human resources through upskilling, and establishing top-notch R&D, prototyping, and testing facilities. The Centre for Renewable Energy (CORE) is a dedicated facility that drives research and development in renewable energy technologies.
Located just 14 kilometers from the Palakkad Railway Junction and approximately 60 kilometers from the Coimbatore International Airport, our institute offers excellent connectivity for students and visitors alike. IIT Palakkad is entering a new phase of expansion and creativity, thanks to its highly skilled professors, accomplished students in academics and extracurriculars, dedicated staff, and advanced research facilities.