S. Vishnu Sharma
IIT Guwahati achieved milestones in research, infrastructure and collaboration in 2023. It also hosted G20-Y20 Inception Meet, developed ‘Smart Drones,’ and established Assam Advanced Healthcare Innovation Institute.
Recognition
Global recognition came for IIT Guwahati with 14 subjects being ranked in QS World University Ranking. It has secured 32nd position in research citation per faculty.
IIT Guwahati obtained 6th position in Sustainable Development Goal 7 of THE Impact Rankings 2023. It also obtained an entry into the World’s Top 25% Institutions List in QS World University Rankings 2024.
Initiatives encompass startup support, diversity celebration, and contributions to national education policy, say sources from IIT Guwahati.
As 2023 concludes, IIT Guwahati anticipates sustaining excellence and transformative contributions.
Progress
Speaking about the progress IIT Guwahati has made in the year 2023, Prof. Rajeev Ahuja, Officiating Director, IIT Guwahati, said, “The institute is progressing very well in academic, research and technology development fronts and has been making consistent efforts to make a societal impact via various national and International initiatives.
With the strong commitment of the faculty members and brilliant students, we hope to serve the society, grow through our research and innovation, and broaden our outreach even further in the coming years, said IIT Guwahati officiating director.
Top innovations
Among the top research and innovation from the IIT Guwahati include:
$ IIT Guwahati researchers created a ‘Recombinant Protein Toolbox’ with six proteins. This toolbox transforms healthy skin or somatic cells into cardiomyocytes, offering potential for regenerating damaged heart tissues.
$ IIT Guwahati’s research team engineered a non-sticking, non-wetting liquid marble with a ‘time bomb’ release effect, offering promise for programmed drug release.
$ Researchers at IIT Guwahati developed a catalyst capable of releasing hydrogen gas from methanol without producing carbon dioxide.
The method involves the production of formic acid, a valuable industrial chemical, making methanol a promising candidate for a Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier and contributing to the hydrogen-methanol economy.
$ IIT Guwahati proposed a biomedical waste solution, using dedicated facilities with compacted Bentonite/Kaolin clays or encapsulating viral waste for landfill disposal.
$ IIT Guwahati’s OsteoHRNet, a Deep Learning-based framework, assesses Knee Osteoarthritis severity from X-ray images, aiding remote and accurate diagnosis.
$ IIT Guwahati researchers have developed a fast, accurate, and reliable device to detect specific bacteria that cause Urinary Tract infection (UTI).
The Prototype device is cost effective and will be useful for rural areas where most UTI cases remain undetected due to lack of adequate testing facilities.
$ A research team of IIT Guwahati in collaboration with scientists from Christian Medical College, Vellore, reported a method to convert regular human skin cells into pluripotent stem cells.
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs). hold potential in Stem Cell Therapy for the treatment of diseases like diabetes, cancer, paralysis, and Alzheimer’s.
$ IIT Guwahati Researchers developed innovative technologies for sustainable and efficient utilization of tea waste from the tea industry.
This research leverages a key regional resource to promote a more sustainable and diversified economy in the North Eastern states of India.
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$ Researchers at IIT Guwahati created a silica-coated cotton fabric that efficiently separates oil from water, using rice husk, an abundant agricultural waste.
This innovation could help address marine oil pollution by providing an economical and sustainable solution for separating oil and water mixtures or other harmful components from liquids.
$ IIT Guwahati researchers developed a nanofluid-based heat transfer fluid using functionalized graphene oxide in a Deep Eutectic Solvent.
This innovative fluid boosts thermal conductivity, improving the transfer of solar-generated heat to desalination systems.
This breakthrough addresses global water scarcity by facilitating potable water production from seawater.
$ An affordable Glycemic Index (GI) sensor for point-of-care use was created by the institution researchers, aiding diabetes management through real-time assessment.
$ Researchers at the institution made significant findings on using modified graphene oxide for biomedical applications.
The team also developed Graphene-based innovative laboratory experiments designed to provide students with hands-on skills and inspire them to explore the possibilities of advanced materials.
$ IITG and ISRO researchers detected X-ray polarization in an extragalactic black hole source for the first time, shedding light on accreting black hole sources beyond the Milky Way Galaxy.
New Infrastructure
In April 2023, the foundation stone of the Assam Advanced Healthcare Innovation Institute (AAHII) was virtually laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at IIT Guwahati.
This institute is envisioned to be a hub for research and innovation in medical sciences, featuring a 500-bedded ‘Connected’ Multi-Specialty Hospital spread over 12 acres within the existing IIT Guwahati campus.
In a significant move toward environmental sustainability, in June 2023, the Institute inaugurated the NRL – Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Sustainable Materials Translational Facility on Bioplastics, demonstrating its commitment to the development of eco-friendly and sustainable plastics.
PPOs and Placement
IIT Guwahati received as many as 800 offers including 214 PPOs in the Phase 1 of Placements. Among these, the Institute has received 90 job offers with Rs. 50 Lakh Per Annum and 11 job offers above Rs. One Crore packages till 6 December.
The highest domestic offer received this year was Rs 1.20 crore, while the highest international offer was Rs. 2.05 crore.
Rankings
IIT Guwahati gained global recognition by a spot among the world’s top universities in 14 subjects in the 2023 QS World University Rankings by Subject, excelling notably in Petroleum Engineering at 51-100 worldwide and 2nd in India.
In the broader QS World University Rankings, the institute stands impressively at 8th globally. Noteworthy achievements include 32nd rank in QS World University ranking in Research citations per faculty gaining 05 places from last year, 6th globally in Sustainable Development Goal 7 (Affordable and clean energy) in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2023.
Overall, IIT Guwahati has retained the 7th spot in the ‘Engineering’ category in the NIRF rankings. In the QS World University Rankings 2024, the institute climbed 20 places to secure the 364th global position, placing it among the top 25% of institutions globally.
Collaborations
In January 2023, IIT Guwahati partnered with industry for Drone Technology development in Northeast India, focusing on strengthening training, research, and manufacturing.
The Institute signed an MoU with Sri Sathya Sai Heart Hospital in March 2023, emphasizing cardiac research and digital transformation.
Concurrently, collaborative efforts with Samagra Shiksha, Assam, were initiated to instill scientific temper among school students through various activities.