India to Set Up First IIT Abroad in UAE

The Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. (Used for representational purposes.)

Sourced image.

The first Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) outside of India is to come up in the United Arab Emirates and will be open to the Indian diaspora, foreign students and Emiratis.

The plan was discussed by the two countries under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which is aimed at boosting trade between the two countries.

A statement from the Ministry of External Affairs read, "Confirming the historical relations existing between the two countries and realising the need to establish world-class institutions that encourage and support innovation and technological progress, the leaders agreed to establish an Indian Institute of Technology in the United Arab Emirates."

The Indian Ambassador to the UAE confirmed this development. He told Gulf News, "The IIT brand has global recognition. It would be the first time that a campus of IIT will be set up overseas and the government of India has chosen the UAE for this purpose."

"It will be a shining example of how our countries are collaborating in the field of higher education,” he added.

Sources: Mint and Gulf News