IIT Delhi, Tata Trusts join hands to contribute to meet country’s developmental priorities

The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D) and the Tata Trusts today announced a partnership through which the recently established IIT-D School of Public Policy, will become a world-class hub of public policy research and education on issues at the intersection of science and technology (S&T) and development. The School intends to contribute to improved policy-making such that the Indian S&T enterprise can better meet the country’s developmental priorities and also address major global challenges.

The School is in the process of recruiting its first crop of faculty members. To begin with, it is focusing on six broad overlapping topics: internet, digital information and society; industry and economy; energy and environment; agriculture, food, and water; health innovations and systems; and sustainable habitats.

It will also explore cross-cutting themes of technical higher education as well as examine various facets of science, technology and innovation policies, processes, institutions, governance, and societal acceptance. The School will offer its own programmes at the graduate levels, contribute to the IITD undergraduate education, and also provide training opportunities for practitioners.

The Director of IITD, Prof. Ramgopal Rao, said: “We at IIT Delhi are extremely excited about this partnership with the Tata Trusts which have a long-standing history of supporting higher education and research in the country. We are grateful for their support, which will significantly bolster and accelerate our efforts to establish the School of Public Policy as the country’s leading centre of research, education and engagement on the role of public policy in better harnessing science, technology, and innovation to address the major challenges of our times.”

Mr. Manoj Kumar, Head of Institutions, the Tata Trusts, said: “It is difficult to imagine an aspect of government, business or civil society that does not influence or is not affected by Public Policy. Rapid advances in Science and Technology are further accentuating the urgency for policy response and creating a demand for world-class professionals and researchers, trained in the discipline of Public Policy. Our partnership with IIT Delhi to catalyse Public Policy education and research is yet another milestone in the Trusts’ legacy of building epochal institutions in the country.”

Close interaction with a range of stakeholders is necessary for thoughtful and fruitful engagement with policy issues. The School’s proximity to government agencies, civil society organizations, philanthropies, think-tanks, and multilateral and bilateral agencies will enable meaningful interactions and also provide a rich environment for intellectual and practical engagement. The School also expects to develop research and training partnerships with other international centres of S&T policy research.

It is expected that the academic efforts of the school will not only be helpful to policymakers in government agencies but also other entities such as philanthropy, foundations and business enterprises as the impact and influence of Public Policy is broad-based.