The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur is set to expand its entrepreneurship programmes with a new school at its Noida campus. Named the Gautam School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (G-SINE), the institution will be established with a Rs. 180 crore commitment from IIT Kanpur alumnus Rahul Gautam.
The school is scheduled to begin operations in July 2027, with an MBA programme in Technology and Entrepreneurship planned as its flagship course. The programme will focus on helping students understand how research and emerging technologies can be developed into commercial products and businesses.
The announcement was made during the launch of IIT Kanpur’s Greater Than Us fundraising campaign in New Delhi on October 14. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched the initiative, which aims to raise US$1 billion (around Rs. 9,000 crore) by March 2029.
IIT Kanpur targets Rs 9,000 crore through fundraising campaign
The new school is part of the institute’s broader plan to strengthen research, infrastructure and technology development. The Greater Than Us campaign has a fundraising target of US$1 billion by March 2029.
According to IIT Kanpur, commitments worth Rs. 4,155 crore had already been secured from alumni, corporate donors, the government and other partners at the time of the announcement.
The fundraising plan has three components: Foundation, Talent and Frontier. Of the total target, Rs. 5,000 crore is earmarked for infrastructure, including research facilities, computing infrastructure and student residences. Another Rs. 3,000 crore will support scholarships, doctoral fellowships and faculty recruitment, while Rs. 1,000 crore is intended for strategic technology initiatives.
“Unless we own the entire technology stack with respect to certain technologies which are of strategic nature, we will be left in a not so good condition or situation when the crunch comes,” Agrawal said, as he explained the importance of developing key technologies independently
The campaign will support work in seven strategic areas: AI, cybersecurity, drones, medical technology, sustainability, semiconductors and quantum technologies. The proposed entrepreneurship school is expected to contribute to these efforts by helping translate research into practical applications and technology-based businesses.
Why is IIT Kanpur setting up G-SINE?
The new school will focus on the commercialisation of research, particularly in sectors where advanced technology can be used to develop new products and services.
Explaining the need for the initiative, IIT Kanpur Director Manindra Agrawal said: “When we talk about technology development, we have to cover the entire spectrum from supporting the work in the lab to supporting the faculty and students in taking that work out of the lab, developing it further to a higher technology readiness level,” he said. “Bring it to a certain point when it can actually be commercialised. And that’s when startups come.”
G-SINE will have its own full-time faculty and degree programmes. Its areas of focus will include artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, digital health, biotechnology, drones and advanced manufacturing.
The school will also work alongside a proposed Deep Tech Hub at the Noida campus. The hub is expected to provide facilities for developing and testing products, helping students and researchers take their ideas beyond the laboratory.
IIT Kanpur will also draw on the experience of its Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC), which has incubated 571 startups.
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