PNN
New Delhi [India], September 22: Harcourt Butler Technical University (HBTU), one of India's oldest engineering institutions, founded in 1921, has announced a landmark collaboration with the IIT Alumni Council to establish India as a global hub for novel materials. The initiative centres on two pivotal moves: HBTU's selection as academic partner for a 30-acre Novel Materials Research Centre (NMRC) near Jewar Airport in the NCR and a new Memorandum of Understanding with ACME Group, India's foremost renewable energy company, to accelerate industry-integrated research and PhD programs.
NMRC As the National Flagship For Novel Materials
The IIT Alumni Social Fund, a key partner in HBTU's transformation, has recognised the university as one of India's top ten engineering institutes in chemical technology and selected it as an academic partner for the 30-acre Novel Materials Research Centre near Jewar Airport in the NCR. Established through the IIT Alumni Research Institute, this campus will target global leadership in novel materials for solar cells, batteries, inverters and catalysts, including non-silicon solar cells and non-lithium batteries. The NMRC will work closely with IIT Alumni Council-supported startups like Go Power in the field of energy storage systems and Ionique Research in the area of electric transportation, on one hand, and established industry leaders like IOCL and ACME on the other. Modelled on Germany's Fraunhofer Institute, the centre will unite over 500 distinguished fellows, 250 industry partners and nearly 100 academic institutions, drawing on the IIT Alumni Council's network of more than 50,000 alumni across 100 city chapters from all 23 Indian Institutes of Technology.
ACME MOU: Industry-Integrated Research At Scale
On the eve of Convocation 2025, HBTU formalised a pioneering Memorandum of Understanding with ACME Group. The MoU was signed by Sri Jitendra Singh, Vice President of ACME, and Sri Amit Kumar Rathore, Registrar of HBTU, in the presence of Vice Chancellor Prof. Samsher, Shri Satish Mehta from the IIT Alumni Social Fund, and faculty members Prof. Ashwani Kumar Rathore, Dr S.V.A.R. Sastry and Dr Deepak Yadav. The agreement outlines sponsored research in critical technologies, onboarding industry engineers for PhD programs, joint intellectual property development, online skilling courses and international seminars and symposiums.
Vice Chancellor's Vision: Lifelong Learning Meets Industry
"We are entering an era of continuous and interactive education. The alumni have to continue being students for life. And our faculty has to learn from them. Education no longer ends with a degree. Faculty have to learn like students whilst they continue to teach. These realities are forcing us to fundamentally change the way we work. We must strengthen our industry linkages and enhance our PhD intake substantially. Industry-sponsored PhDs and startups employing PhD students are key to our transformation. We have to strengthen our linkages with other premier institutions in India as well as overseas," said Prof. Samsher, Vice Chancellor, HBTU, on the eve of Convocation 2025. Prof. Samsher himself is an alumnus of both HBTU and IIT Delhi.
Five-Year Blueprint to Break Into India's Top 50
HBTU's transformation is anchored in a strategic overhaul of its brand and positioning. A central element is the reinvention of its alumni platform, modelled after the IIT Alumni Council, to strengthen ties with industry, boost sponsored research projects and expand PhD programs. The university is upgrading its laboratories and positioning itself as an affiliate hub for western Uttar Pradesh to foster regional innovation and economic growth. This ambitious five-year plan targets a place among India's top 50 engineering institutions, alongside leading institutions such as IIT Bombay and ICT University (formerly UDCT) in Mumbai. To achieve this, HBTU is planning a distance campus in collaboration with industry leaders and philanthropic organisations, notably the IIT Alumni Council, many of whose postgraduate members are HBTU undergraduates. This transformation has been made possible by the strong support of the Chancellor and Dr Sudhir Bobade, Additional Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary to the Governor.
"By increasing research activities and translating research papers and patents to commercial ventures through industry and startups, we see the potential for a substantial upward movement in rankings. The NMRC is an important step in that direction," added Prof. Jyoti Joglekar, Distinguished Fellow of the IIT Alumni Council and Academic Convenor of the IIT Alumni Research Institute.
Ecosystem Alignment and Deep-Tech Priorities
"As India gears up for leadership in the climate change-induced world order, close co-operation between leading institutes will help accelerate the path to global supremacy," said Ravi Sharma, President and Chief Volunteer of the IIT Alumni Council. "Vice Chancellor Prof. Samsher is an alumnus of both HBTU and IIT Delhi. Prof. Anirudh Pandit, Vice Chancellor of ICT University, is a Senate Member of IIT Bombay and an alumnus of IIT Banaras. Shri Jitendra Singh is a distinguished alumnus of HBTU and a distinguished fellow of the IIT Alumni Council. As a knowledge partner and a leading non-profit, we consider it our privilege to align with all premium institutions promoting deep-tech research in our focus areas." Ravi Sharma himself is a native of rural Uttar Pradesh and an alumnus of IIT Roorkee.
Convocation Signals from Government and Industry
The upbeat momentum continued into Convocation 2025, which was led by the Chancellor of the University, Her Excellency Anandiben Patel, and Shri Ashish Patel, State Minister for Higher Education. The Guests of Honour included Shri Arvinder Singh Sahney, Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation and an alumnus of HBTU, and Shri Narendra Bhushan, Secretary, Higher Education, Uttar Pradesh. Special Invitees included Shri Jitendra Singh from ACME and Shri Satish Mehta from the IIT Alumni Social Fund.
In his highly inspirational and well-applauded Convocation address, Shri Sahney pointed out, "We are in the middle of VUCA - volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. The changing geopolitical situation demands appropriate steps to be taken in areas like energy security and self-sufficiency." Shri Jitendra Singh added, "This is a trying time for big industry and academic institutions alike. As the world order changes, old leaders could be replaced by unknown startups. The same can happen to academic institutions if they don't remain relevant. As an alumnus, I am delighted to see the beginning of a radical transformation at HBTU. But this cannot be an effort of only a few. We will require many more industry partners and whole-hearted support from deep-tech literate, deep-pocketed foundations like the IIT Alumni Council. I have had the opportunity of participating in task forces of the IIT Alumni Council as well as research projects of HBTU. I also serve as a Mentor to the Go Power advanced storage system platform, which could disrupt the battery industry globally in the near future. This is a win-win combination which brings together academia, industry, startups, alumni and non-profits."
IIT Alumni Social Fund: Capital and Partner Pipeline
"In my college days, the three colleges I wanted to join were ICT, HBTI or IIT Bombay. I am delighted to see the transformation at HBTU. The NMRC will have our full support - both financially and otherwise. We also hope to onboard around ten more industry partners in the NMRC," said Shri Satish Mehta, Convenor of the IIT Alumni Social Fund and a Chemical Engineer from IIT Bombay.
Selective Call for Participation
Industry partners who are interested in participating in the NMRC may write to applications@iitalumnicouncil.org on or before September 30, 2025. This call is not open to the public and is only for individual or corporate members of the IIT Alumni Council (https://iitalumnicouncil.org/) and for alumni of HBTU or ICT University.
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