- IIT Gandhinagar hosts twin think-tanks shaping academic, research and leadership futures
- Academic Advisory Council debates interdisciplinary learning, globalisation and emerging technologies
- Leadership Conclave sets roadmap for governance, branding and industry-led impact
NE EDUCATION BUREAU
GANDHINAGAR, JAN 11
The Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) hosted two of its most influential academic and strategic forums—the 13th Academic Advisory Council (AAC) on January 9, 2026, followed by the 14th Leadership Conclave (LC) on January 10, 2026—bringing together eminent academicians, policymakers, industry leaders, and international experts to deliberate on the Institute’s evolving academic, research, governance, and institutional priorities.
13th Academic Advisory Council
The 13th AAC began with welcome remarks by Prof Madhav Pathak, Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering, IITGN, and Prof Vaibhav Tripathi, Assistant Professor, Cognitive and Brain Sciences, IITGN, followed by opening remarks from Prof Rajat Moona, Director, IIT Gandhinagar.
Addressing the Council, Prof Moona highlighted IITGN’s strong emphasis on interdisciplinary education, industry–academia collaboration, and global engagement. He underlined the Institute’s flexible academic structure that allows students to pursue courses across departmental boundaries, enabling truly multidisciplinary learning supported by continuous benchmarking with leading global institutions.
He outlined initiatives such as empowered course offerings, cross-departmental classrooms, modular programmes delivered by national and international experts, and collaborative teaching models involving visiting and adjunct faculty. Emphasising expanded internships and deeper industry engagement, Prof Moona reaffirmed IITGN’s commitment to student success, optimal resource utilisation, and continuous academic evolution.
The Council deliberated on key themes including curriculum adaptation for emerging and strategic technologies, enhancing research productivity, internationalisation roadmaps, and sustaining growth while preserving institutional culture. Discussions explored integrating new-age domains into academic programmes, strengthening research impact, expanding global collaborations and student mobility, and safeguarding IITGN’s culture of openness, interdisciplinarity, and student-centricity.
The meeting drew strategic inputs from eminent leaders such as Prof Ashish Garg (IIT Kanpur), Prof Manoj Singh Gaur (Director, IIT Jammu), Prof Nuno Guimarães (University Institute of Lisbon, Portugal), Prof Nitin K Tripathi (Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand), and Prof Pankaj Jalote (IIIT Delhi), among others.
Members stressed the need to strengthen industry–academia collaboration, student mobility initiatives, thematic and mission-mode research, and integration of external expertise in domains such as health sciences, digital technologies, and national priority areas. Enhancing internships, startups, applied projects, and extended industry exposure was identified as critical to building leadership in select focus areas and delivering societal impact.
The Council also discussed expanding interdisciplinary academic offerings, including flexible postgraduate programmes and new initiatives in artificial intelligence, sustainability, fintech, robotics, and quantum technologies, while reinforcing integration across engineering, sciences, and management.
Concluding the meeting, members reaffirmed IITGN’s commitment to building a future-ready academic ecosystem anchored in collaboration, flexibility, interdisciplinary excellence, societal relevance, and global best practices.
14th Leadership Conclave
On the second day, the 14th Leadership Conclave focused on shaping IIT Gandhinagar’s short-, medium-, and long-term strategic priorities through discussions on institutional branding, governance frameworks, staff empowerment, and extending the Institute’s presence beyond the campus.
“Education today cannot remain untouched by technology. Institutions must evolve with time while staying true to the purpose for which they were established. Innovation, entrepreneurship, and industry engagement are not optional anymore—they are essential for long-term relevance and impact,” said Prof Moona while addressing the participants.
“Change is inevitable. Companies and institutions that do not adapt will not survive. Innovation, entrepreneurship, and industry engagement are essential for long-term relevance and impact,” he further added.
The first session on Institutional Branding Strategy focused on shaping a clear, future-oriented identity for IIT Gandhinagar by building on strengths such as curriculum innovation, research excellence, sustainability, student-first policies, and soft-skill development.
The second session on Governance Framework for Institute Section 8 Not-for-Profit Companies underscored the need to revisit governance norms for Section 8 companies at IITs, calling for independent boards, clear mandates, transparent resource sharing, an arm’s-length relationship with institutes, and a shift towards a more enabling, VC-like institutional mindset to strengthen autonomy and impact.
The third session on Staff Empowerment centred on fostering an inclusive and collaborative culture that promotes professional growth, shared responsibility, leadership, recognition, and institutional ownership across staff, faculty, and students.
The fourth session on Extending the IIT Gandhinagar Presence Beyond Campus highlighted the need for structured professional teams to support faculty–industry engagement, maintain a clear separation between skilling, technology transfer, and fundraising, and strengthen global presence through partnerships and extension programmes, while safeguarding academic values and faculty time.
The conclave concluded with actionable reflections to support IITGN’s strategic growth, reaffirming the Institute’s commitment to academic excellence, robust governance, and deeper engagement with industry, society, and the global academic community.
