Alumnus Nandan Nilekani donates ₹315 cr to IIT(B)

New Delhi: Nandan Nilekani, co-founder and chairman of Infosys and the founding chairman of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), on Tuesday, donated ₹315 crore to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay.

This contribution builds upon his previous grants of ₹85 crore to the premier engineering school, bringing the cumulative value of his support to ₹400 crore. A memorandum of understanding was signed today in Bengaluru by Nilekani and Prof. Subhasis Chaudhuri, director of IIT Bombay.

Nilekani joined IIT Bombay in 1973 for a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. The donation marks 50 years of his association with the institute. It also stands as one of the largest donations made by an alumnus in India, IIT Bombay said in a statement.

Over the past 50 years, Nilekani has stayed connected with the institute in multiple roles. He served on the board of the IIT Bombay Heritage Foundation from 1999 to 2009 and was on the board of governors from 2005 to 2011.

Nilekani’s initial contribution totalling up to ₹85 crore over the years, was instrumental in constructing new hostels, co-financing the School of Information Technology, and establishing India’s first university incubator, aimed at boosting the Indian startup ecosystem. He was awarded the prestigious Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1999, followed by an Honorary Doctorate in 2019.

Chaudhuri said that this donation would significantly accelerate the growth of IIT Bombay and would firmly set it on a path of global leadership. “IIT Bombay is committed to building research and academic excellence that can make India a leader in scientific discovery and its translation towards solving the pressing challenges facing humankind. Nandan’s contribution will catalyse philanthropic contributions towards advancing research and development at universities in India,” he said.

According to the statement, IIT Bombay’s strategic plan for the coming decade includes setting up centres of excellence in areas such as AI, green energy, quantum computing, nurturing a deep tech startup ecosystem, and providing best-in-class research, living, and academic facilities to students and faculty.