NIIT starts a not-for-profit Technology University

NIIT has opened a not-for-profit university, spread across 100 acres and targeting technology courses. The university commenced with the session from this September with a founding batch of nineteen BTech and ten MTech students. "We expect to have 500 students in the next academic session starting July 2010. The number will scale up to 5,000 in the next ten years," said Rajender Pawar, NIIT Chairman to PTI.

Pawar said based on four core principles of being industry-linked, technology-based, research-driven and seamless, the university will focus substantially on research. "The concept that knowledge should be looked upon from a holistic rather than a sectional point of view is gaining acceptance. NIIT University gives a glimpse of what future education institutes should be," said Karan Singh, Member of Parliament and Chancellor of NIIT, after inaugurating the university.

The university will offer PhD programmes in Computer Science and Engineering, Educational Technology and Bioinformatics and Biotechnoloy. Its MTech programmes will cover Computer Sciences and Engineering and Educational Technology, while BTech programmes in Computer Sciences and Engineering will be offered through customised curriculum aligned to the industry needs. The project will cost over Rs. 1,000 crore over 10 years.