Internationalization is inherent to the mission of IIT Madras, and the institute recognizes the benefits that collaborative endeavours offer through a sharing of ideas, resources, and expertise, the opportunity to work with students and faculty who bring with them different perspectives and experiences, and the eventual translation to research output that has a greater social impact.

Results of a recent survey among faculty revealed that most faculty believe that international collaboration is important, necessary, and complementary to their research at IITM. To support this, there is a need to focus on flexible mobility funding to enhance and sustain collaborations, particularly with highly ranked institutes (E.g., top 25 in the QS rankings).

IIT Madras provides two different mobility grants with a vision to increase the institute’s visibility in global rankings, which in turn can lead to multiple benefits including top research collaborations, opportunities for international funding, and an increase in international students and faculty.