Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg has stressed the need to develop the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Bhubaneswar, into a Centre of Excellence, directing officials to address infrastructure gaps on a priority basis and strengthen industry-academia collaboration.
Chairing the 15th meeting of the institute’s Board of Governors at Lok Seva Bhawan here on Tuesday, Garg emphasised the importance of IIIT Bhubaneswar in promoting higher technical education, research, semiconductor technology and the startup ecosystem in the state.
She called for comprehensive measures to ensure that the institute achieves a level of performance comparable to or better than other IIITs across the country. She also stressed the need to strengthen collaboration between industries and academic institutions, with greater emphasis on industry-oriented teaching and research to prepare students for evolving industry requirements.
During the meeting, the Board reviewed various aspects of the institute’s academic activities, research initiatives, student admissions, placements, infrastructure development and future strategic plans.
A presentation on academic progress and admission statistics revealed that 479 students were admitted to the B.Tech. programmes in 2026, compared to 372 in 2025 and 398 in 2024.
Enrolment in the postgraduate (M.Tech.) programmes also increased from 15 in 2024 to 29 in 2026. The institute has introduced a new postgraduate programme in VLSI Semiconductor Technology. In addition, five Ph.D. scholars were admitted across various disciplines during 2026.
A review of placement activities showed that the highest annual salary package during the academic year 2025-26 stood at Rs 60 lakh, while the average and median packages were Rs 9.6 lakh and Rs 8 lakh, respectively. The placement rate has remained around 83 per cent over the past two years.
Several reputed companies, including D.E. Shaw, Dell, Oracle, Flipkart, Zoho, Razorpay, Sarvam AI and Siemens, participated in the recruitment process.
The Board also reviewed the institute’s research and innovation activities. IIIT Bhubaneswar has organised several academic and research events, including IEEE InGARSS 2025, Indocrypt 2025 and ICoICC-2025, besides international workshops in specialised areas. IEEE InGARSS 2025 witnessed participation from representatives of 14 countries.
The institute has also organised national and international workshops and training programmes in emerging fields such as Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, Cybersecurity, Cryptography and Deep Learning.
Proposals for establishing a Technology Innovation Hub and a Centre of Excellence in Semiconductor Technology on the campus were also discussed to strengthen the institute’s research and innovation ecosystem.
The Board deliberated on infrastructure development plans, including the establishment of an incubation centre, hostels, an auditorium, classrooms and other essential facilities.
Issues relating to human resource development were also discussed. These included the promotion of faculty members to the next higher pay level, expediting regular faculty recruitment to fill existing vacancies and creating additional faculty positions as required.
The meeting also reviewed measures undertaken to improve academic standards, administrative transparency and research quality. The achievements and recognitions received by the Director and faculty members at national and international levels were highlighted.
A proposal to hold the institute’s next convocation ceremony in January 2027 was also discussed. Other agenda items included audited annual accounts, the award of degrees, welfare facilities for faculty and staff members, and various administrative matters.
Among those present at the meeting were Vishal Kumar Dev, Additional Chief Secretary, Electronics and Information Technology Department; Bhupendra Singh Poonia, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Sports, Skill Development and Technical Education Department; Dr Ashish Ghosh, Director, IIIT Bhubaneswar; Sabyasachi Hota, Registrar and Controller of Finance, IIIT Bhubaneswar; Professor Debabrata Das, Director, IIIT Bangalore; and Professor Shreepad Karmalkar of IIT Bhubaneswar, who joined online.
Representatives from various industries and members of the Board of Governors also attended the meeting.
