Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) will open its first overseas campus in Abu Dhabi next year and commence courses, said Indian Ambassador to the UAE Sunjay Sudhir.

India’s prestigious chain of engineering colleges, 23 so far, is famous for producing graduates who figure among the world’s most successful engineers and entrepreneurs. IIT alumni include Sundar Pichai, Google’s chief executive, and Narayana Murthy, founder of software giant Infosys.

IIT Abu Dhabi is one of the milestones reached since the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the UAE and India on February 18 last year.

“It would be an independent IIT, so initially it would offer a few academic programmes but eventually it will have all the academic programmes like undergraduate, post-graduate and PhD courses,” noted the Ambassador.

Regarding faculty, Sudhir said the details are still under discussion. “But the education will be of very high quality – the quality that IIT is known for.” IIT Delhi will mentor IIT Abu Dhabi.

Regular meetings have been held between experts from IIT Delhi and the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) and an agreement is close to being finalised to chart out specific roles and responsibilities.

A joint working group will identify the location for the temporary and permanent campuses in Abu Dhabi, and also finalise the start date and qualification criteria.

“The idea behind setting up of IIT Abu Dhabi is to bring the academic excellence of IITs to the wide international community. Therefore, IIT Abu Dhabi will also aspire to be a truly global campus having good mix of Indian, Emirati and other nationalities,” Sudhir said.