The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), the Ministry of Education in India, and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-Delhi) - India’s leading technical education and research institution - have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish the first international campus of IIT-Delhi, with the formation of the new IIT-Delhi Abu Dhabi.

The MoU was signed in the presence of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the Prime Minster of India, Narendra Modi.

Complementing the ongoing UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), the MoU reflects the shared vision of both nations to prioritise educational excellence, innovation, knowledge exchange, and investments in human capital as the foundations for future prosperity and enablers of long-term economic growth and sustainable development.

The MoU was signed by Minister of State for Early Education, Chairwoman of the Federal Agency of Early Education, and Chairwoman of ADEK; Sunjay Sudhir, Indian Ambassador to the UAE; and Professor Rangan Banerjee, Director of IIT-Delhi.

Musallam commented on how the MoU represents an important step in Abu Dhabi's commitment to accelerate a world-class education system that serves the national development goals and priorities.

"The execution of this MoU marks a milestone in our plans towards actualising a globally competitive education ecosystem. In line with our national strategy, this MoU reflects our commitment to providing world-class educational experiences. We anticipate that the IIT-Delhi Abu Dhabi partnership will support our transition towards fostering an environment that nurtures innovation and accelerates high-level research,” stated Musallam.

"Advancing Abu Dhabi's technology and engineering higher education landscape, our strategic focus lies in cultivating home-grown STEM talent and empowering future Emirati graduates to create a global impact. This strategic MoU will attract high-caliber faculty, researchers and student talent, and is a major stepping stone in paving the way for exponential growth and development," Musallam concluded.

Dharmendra Pradhan, Cabinet Minister for Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in the Government of India, hailed the agreement as a major development that will strengthen the long-standing bilateral ties between the UAE and India, and further enrich the UAE’s higher education landscape.

“The MoU to establish the IIT-Delhi campus in Abu Dhabi unfolds a new chapter in the internationalisation of India’s education. An exemplar of new India’s innovation and expertise, the IIT Delhi campus in UAE will be an edifice of friendship. It will set a brand-new template for leveraging the power of knowledge for both mutual prosperity and global good as envisioned in NEP.”

IIT-Delhi Abu Dhabi will complement the academic, research and innovation ecosystem in Abu Dhabi through collaboration with key players such as Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, Khalifa University, New York University Abu Dhabi, Technology Innovation Institute, and Hub71 to offer complimentary programmes, conduct cutting edge research, and advance the local startup ecosystem.

The IIT-Delhi Abu Dhabi campus is set to launch its academic programmes in January 2024 with a host of bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. programmes, and operate research centers related to sustainable energy and climate studies, as well as computing and data sciences.

IIT-Delhi Abu Dhabi will offer a diverse range of programmes covering Energy and Sustainability, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science and Engineering, Mathematics and Computing and other disciplines of engineering, sciences and humanities.

IIT-Delhi Abu Dhabi graduates will join an illustrious alumni network of graduates from 23 campuses across India. With outstanding credentials, IIT-Delhi recently ranked among the world’s top 50 institutions for engineering and technology. It also scored a top 30 rank for global employability in the 2022 QS World University Rankings. IIT-Delhi has been a frontline contributor to India's R&D ecosystem in sectors ranging from defense, healthcare, and rural development, to transportation, IT, and software.