IIT Alumni Industry Interaction Center Inaugurated in Chennai
Chennai becomes the first city to offer such state of the art facilities for Alumni
The 10 year old IIT Alumni Industry Interaction Center (AIIC) in its new abodeaptly coined, “Hub in the Sky” is spread across 30,000 sq. ft which includes a 10,000 sq. ft open terrace overlooking the luscious greens of South Chennai and the Bay of Bengal. The “Hub in the Sky” is situated on the 10th floor of Phase 2 of the IIT Madras Research Park, Taramani, which has been designed by the World Famous Hafeez Contractor.
This Mammoth Center was inaugurated by Professor Bhaskar Ramamurthi today in the presence of a very selective gathering of IITians. Professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Prof in Charge, IITM Research Park and Professor Mahesh Panchagnula Dean, Alumni & Corporate Relations, were also present.
This aims to provide a meeting ground for Corporate R&D, Industry Professionals, Faculty and Students for networking and increased collaborative work in a relaxed yet professional ambience.This facility will help in catalysing Industry Academia Engagement through its Industry Round Table, a key strategic initiative of the IIT AIIC. This huge facility will also help in organizing International Meets requiring “State of the Art” facilities to make the conferences/meetings very meaningful and worthwhile for all participants, both National and International.
Another interesting initiative amongst several is the Start-up lecture series- a well curated series of talks by the Alumni and Industry Experts, to help Start-up in their journey. Besides, there have been several stimulating activities over the past decade. At the IIT AIIC there has never been a dull moment for its members and their guests who have seen a series of refreshing, entertaining and intellectually stimulating activities to complement the sense of belonging.
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Today, the IIT Alumni Industry Interaction Center has over 650 members from different IITs in India. They comprise of Alumni and Faculty from the IITs, selected Alumni from IIM,ISB, XLRI and IISc, designated Senior Employees from select Corporates and Ex-Officio members such as Directors from all the IITs.
At the inauguration, Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director IITM said, he was delighted that such a magnificent facility has come up in the IITMRP campus, which will be a Catalyst for Growth of the Indian Industry in the years to come.
Any organization that is interested in R&D and using the expertise and experience of IITians, can log in and take advantage of this World Class Alumni Centre, which is akin to other World class Institutions like Harvard, Princeton and Yale, but with better networking and Industry Interaction Programmes.
The facilities provided include a Members’ lounge, Fine dining and a Banquet Hall, a Café , Meeting and Conference rooms, a Library, Business Centre, AV Room, Executive Suites, Recreational Facilities including a Children’s room , a Multi-Purpose Hall, Fitness Centre etc