A campus cross-connection

multidiscplinary course in the field of telecommunications, focusing on engineering and management requirements of the industry.

‘‘I have a degree in engineering and with the boom in the telecom sector, we realised the need for specialised talent in the field. Clearly, this could come only from the education sector. This resulted in the 1999 MoU with IIT,’’ says Rakesh Bharti Mittal, vice chairman of the Bharti Group and a member of the Bharti School.

Housed in a mutlistoreyed building on campus, the School currently offers two courses with an intake of 20 each—an M.Tech. in telecom technology and Management (with a 70:30 split between technology and management) and an MBA in Telecom System Managment (75:25 in favour of management). About Rs 20 crore was invested by Bharti—Rs 10 crore for the infrastructure and the other half as corpus.

THE ‘‘academic-industry’’ handshake has spelt multiple benefits to IIT Delhi. An infrastructure at par with world-class teaching and research standards in the telecommunication sector has meant that more than 200 students now have access to state-of-the-art laboratories.

‘‘Courses were formulated with a high-level of participation from the industry. Thus, they have evolved into being some of the most focused and industry-relevant courses taught in IIT Delhi and are extremely sought-after by students,’’ says Surendra Prasad, the Director of the institute and a Professor in Communications Engineering.

Results have been impressive and consistent. The focus on the telecom industry has seen a cent per cent placement for its graduates. The school is also a physical focal point where faculty from various departments within IIT Delhi with interests in telecom-related technology, policy, regulation and other issues can be brought together.

Adds Prasad: ‘‘The world-class facilies attract the best of talent from both within IIT Delhi and from outside. By providing world class infrastructural support and funding, it becomes a basis for retaining and attracting faculty to IIT Delhi.’’

The interdisciplinary nature of the school has resulted in a common platform for interaction between the telecom industry and academia. This is expected to lead to more relevant and pioneering research at the grassroots level (such as telecom solutions for rural areas in the Indian context).

This session will introduce a doctoral course.