On the 11th of October 2018, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) was formally notified as an Institution of Eminence (IoE) Deemed to be University.
Under this scheme, IISc will be supported by an additional Rs. 1,000 crores over 5 years, over and above its annual MHRD grant. The IoE tag will also allow IISc autonomy in many aspects of operation, including the ability to hire foreign faculty members to constitute up to 25% of its strength and flexibly utilize privately generated resources from alumni, industry and philanthropists.
IISc has committed to matching the additional support with funds raised from its own efforts. Further, IISc has committed to embark on an ambitious programme of expansion of research activities and infrastructure as well as a 20% expansion of its faculty and student strength. New interdisciplinary areas of research cutting across all branches of science and engineering will be seeded, maintenance and operational support will be provided to major
experimental and computational facilities, and a thriving culture of postdoctoral fellows acting as force multipliers will be established.
IISc’s international engagement will also be enhanced through visiting professorships, support for attending conferences, increased intake of international students and the forging of partnerships with foreign universities involving joint student guidance and joint award of degrees. IoE resources will also allow IISc to upgrade its physical and IT infrastructure to make its operations and student experience modern and streamlined. With this impetus, IISc will be in a position to compete favourably with leading universities across the world on many fronts, and in doing so, improve its global presence and rankings.
