IIT Bombay to Open First Overseas Centre in Japan in Partnership with Tohoku University

IIT Bombay is set to establish its first international centre in Japan through a strategic collaboration with Tohoku University. The new facility, named the Tohoku University–IIT Bombay Joint Institute of Excellence (JIE), is expected to begin operations next year.

According to an official statement, the two institutions signed a joint agreement on April 15 to formalize the partnership. The initiative aims to enhance academic and research excellence, promote collaborative innovation, and foster stronger industry-academia ties.

Academic and Research Focus
In its initial phase, the JIE will offer joint PhD programmes. Later stages will introduce MTech courses and expand the range of collaborative academic activities. The centre will concentrate on high-impact research areas including:

• Sustainable energy
• Artificial intelligence
• Materials science
• Disaster resilience

And other key domains of mutual interest

Enhancing India–Japan Educational Ties
This centre marks IIT Bombay’s first foray into establishing an overseas presence, following in the footsteps of IIT Delhi and IIT Madras, which have launched international campuses in Abu Dhabi and Zanzibar, respectively.

The partnership is also expected to deepen academic and research cooperation between India and Japan, with a particular emphasis on student and faculty exchange programmes.

Boosting Student Mobility
Japan has been actively working to attract more international talent from India. In a coordinated effort, Japan’s education ministry and the University of Tokyo are providing financial support to approximately 270 graduate students from India. They have also intensified recruitment efforts in the region.

Government data shows that 1,302 Indian students studied in Japan in 2022, a rebound from the pandemic-related decline in previous years: 1,761 students in 2019, 552 in 2020, and just 193 in 2021. By contrast, fewer than 800 Japanese students are currently studying in India, including those in short-term programmes.

Japan aims to attract 400,000 international students by 2033 and send 500,000 Japanese students abroad, making Indian student engagement a key part of its internationalisation strategy.

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