IIT Bombay, SUNY Old Westbury tie up for science, engineering and AI programmes

Newyork,UPDATED: Jun 27, 2026 08:58 IST

IIT Bombay and the State University of New York Old Westbury have announced a partnership to develop new education and research opportunities in science and engineering, in a move that reflects the growing India-US collaboration in higher education. The two institutions plan to work on new academic offerings at all levels, including in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, along with collaborative research activities on the Long Island campus in New York.

The announcement was made on Friday after IIT Bombay Director Prof Shireesh Kedare and SUNY Old Westbury President Dr Timothy E Sams signed a letter of intent in New York in the presence of Consul General of India in New York Binaya Pradhan. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Higher Education Secretary Dr Vineet Joshi and Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra attended the announcement virtually.

According to a statement by SUNY Old Westbury, the partnership will begin with efforts to create new academic programmes in science and engineering while also drawing up plans for joint research. Early areas of cooperation are expected to include visits and exchanges of faculty members and researchers, joint research work, and the development of joint conferences or symposia. These early-stage steps will continue as work on new degree programmes takes shape.

Dharmendra Pradhan welcomed the announcement by the two institutes to “explore collaboration in engineering, multidisciplinary research, technology and other emerging areas of the future”. In a post on X, he said, “Such collaborations enrich our research culture, open new avenues for our students, scholars and learners and build enduring bridges of knowledge to address global challenges while carrying India's intellectual strengths to the world.”

Kedare said, “IIT Bombay is excited to work with SUNY Old Westbury, whose leadership is committed to quality education and is forward-looking in its outlook.” He added, “Considering that our strengths are complementary, we believe that our partnership has the ability to scale great heights.” Describing IIT Bombay as a world-class institution, Sams said SUNY Old Westbury was excited to establish a direct partnership that advances teaching, innovation and excellence in disciplines such as physics and engineering, with the goal of creating a “robust IIT Bombay presence on our campus so that together we can prepare the next generation of leaders who will fuel success across our region, state, nation and world.”

Speaking on the occasion, Kwatra stressed the importance of strengthening academic and technological collaboration between the two institutions and of building deeper partnerships in research, innovation and higher education. Joshi described the IIT Bombay-SUNY Old Westbury partnership as a “new and proud” chapter in the India-US partnership in higher education and research, and “one of the most consequential”. The collaboration is the latest in a recent series of partnerships between leading higher education institutions in India and the US, underlining the scope for deeper academic and research ties between the two countries.

With PTI Inputs

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