The 15th Board of Governors meeting of the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Bhubaneswar was held today at the Conference Hall of Lok Seva Bhawan under the chairpersonship of Chief Secretary of Odisha and Chairperson of the Board, Anu Garg.
The meeting reviewed academic progress, student admissions, placements, infrastructure development and future strategies of the institute. Particular emphasis was placed on strengthening industry-academia collaboration, expanding research and innovation activities, and accelerating infrastructure growth.
Strong Growth in Admissions
B.Tech admissions rose to 479 students in 2026, up from 372 in 2025 and 398 in 2024. M.Tech admissions more than doubled to 29 in 2026 from 15 in 2024. A new M.Tech programme in VLSI Semiconductor Technology has also been launched. Five PhD scholars joined various departments in 2026.
Robust Placement Performance
In the 2025-26 academic year, the highest annual package reached ₹60 lakh, with an average package of ₹9.6 lakh and a median of ₹8 lakh. The placement rate has remained around 83 per cent over the last two years. Leading companies including D.E. Shaw, Dell, Oracle, Flipkart, Zoho, Razorpay, Sarvam AI and Siemens participated in the recruitment process.
Research and Innovation Drive
IIIT Bhubaneswar hosted major events such as IEEE InGARSS 2025 (with participants from 14 countries), Indocrypt 2025, ICoICC-2025, and workshops on deep learning, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cybersecurity and cryptography. Proposals to establish a Technology Innovation Hub and a Centre of Excellence in Semiconductor Technology on campus were discussed, along with plans for an incubation centre, hostels, auditorium and additional classrooms.
Strategic Directions from the Chief Secretary
Garg directed the institute to immediately address infrastructure gaps and position IIIT Bhubaneswar as a centre of excellence in higher technical education, semiconductor technology and the startup ecosystem in Odisha. She stressed the need for stronger industry-academia linkages, industry-oriented education and expanded research so that students are better prepared for current industry demands. She also called for comprehensive efforts to make IIIT Bhubaneswar one of the best-performing IIITs in the country.
The meeting also discussed faculty promotions, faster regular recruitment, creation of new faculty positions, measures to improve academic standards and administrative transparency, audited accounts, degree awards, and the proposed next convocation in January 2027.
The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary, Electronics & IT, Vishal Kumar Dev; Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Sports, Skill Development and Technical Education, Bhupendra Singh Punia; Director, IIIT Bhubaneswar, Dr. Ashish Ghosh; Registrar and Controller of Finance, Sabyasachi Hota; Director, IIIT Bangalore, Professor Debabrata Das; Professor Sripad Karmakar of IIT Bhubaneswar (online); and representatives from industry and other members of the Board.
