History and Establishment

Indian Institute of Technology Bhilai was inaugurated on 7 August 2016 by Shri Prakash Javedakar, Hon'ble Minister for Human Resource Development, Government of India, and Shri Raman Singh, Hon'ble Chief Minister, Government of Chhattisgarh. IIT Hyderabad was entrusted with the responsibility of mentoring the institute under the guidance of Prof U.B. Desai, Director, IIT Hyderabad. The institute started its operation from its transit campus located in the Government Engineering College (GEC) at Sejbahar, Raipur, wherein the first batch of students was inducted in 2016. Prof Rajat Moona took charge as Director of IIT Bhilai on 20 March 2017. Prior to joining IIT Bhilai, he was Director General of the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Government of India. He is affiliated to the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Kanpur. Prof Rajiv Prakash took charge as Director, IIT Bhilai on 26 September 2022. A professor of Materials Science and Technology at IIT (BHU) Varanasi, Prof Prakash is one of India's foremost scientists in the fields of electronic polymers and nanocomposites, organic electronics, sensors, and energy storage devices. IIT Bhilai shifted to its permanent campus on 1 August 2023 and the BTech new session took off from the permanent campus.

Campus

Bhilai is well known as the Steel City of Central India and a key education hub of Chhattisgarh. IIT Bhilai permanent campus is well connected through major modes of transport as it is 5 km from the Great Eastern Highway, 5.4 km from Durg junction railway station (the most prominent and important station in Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai line) and 54 km from Swami Vivekananda Airport, Mana, Raipur.

The permanent campus of IIT Bhilai is planned to be a complete self- sustaining residential campus and will be developed in phase manner. Over the course of 20 years, the campus is anticipated to expand to house 12,000 students. The present phase of the permanent campus of IIT Bhilai is being constructed in Kutelabhata village, Bhilai, District Durg and will cater to 1200 students respective faculty and staff members.

Airport: The Raipur Airport in Mana is about 54 km away from the permanent campus.

Train: The Durg railway station is about 5.4 km from the permanent campus.

Salient features of IIT Bhilai

The campus of IIT Bhilai is expected to be a model case study for the country as a whole. It is therefore designed to be a smart eco-campus and emphasises sustainability and environmental sensitivity at all levels. Its pattern is driven by stewarding natural resources and based on renewable energy. This campus is designed to function 24x7, for all 365 days of the year.

• Retention of existing nature & Afforestation: The master plan and green buildings are designed in such a manner to respect the natural features of the allotted space by retaining most of the existing trees and ponds. The total number of trees on the allotted land has approximately 3,100 trees of native species and IIT Bhilai has planned to plant 12,500 new trees.
• Energy efficient campus: In order to take advantage of the building rooftops for green energy generation and to emphasize the use of renewable energy on the campus, rooftop solar panels are being installed. To optimize the consumption of electricity, 100% LED lights are being used with the power control automation IT tool called “Campus Management System (CMS)”. Also, Air Conditioning requirements were planned to be reduced by the designed orientation of buildings, allowing natural wind flow to keep buildings cool and using insulating walls to prevent heat ingestion.
• Sustainable Water & Waste Management: From a sustainability viewpoint, domestic water management, wastewater management, sewerage and stormwater management is exceptionally designed on the campus with Zero water discharge and reuse of treated waste water for flushing, horticulture and air conditioning (cooling system) which will result in a very little water demand from external sources. Rainwater is harvested to meet a large chunk of our water requirement. Waste management is planned campus-wide by segregating decomposable and non-decomposable waste and use of waste digesters to convert waste to manure.
• Unique Access Corridor: A unique corridor is being constructed in the academic zone of the campus connecting all the academic buildings. The sides of the access corridor will be embellished with panels containing nature-inspired themes by Gond Artwork depicting the rich history of incredible Chhattisgarh.
• Well Planned expansion of the campus: In the phase-wise construction, buildings are planned and designed to avoid vertical expansion in the future. Horizontal expansion is planned to cause the least disturbance to the existing buildings.

The academic departments in IIT Bhilai include:

1. Bioscience and Biomedical Engineering
2. Chemistry
3. Computer Science and Engineering
4. Electrical Engineering
5. Electronics and Communication Engineering
6. Liberal Arts
7. Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering
8. Mathematics
9. Mechanical Engineering
10. Physics
11. Mechatronics

Academics

Academic Programs

IIT Bhilai offers Bachelor of Technology (BTech), Master of Technology (MTech), Master of Science (MSc) and Doctoral programs (PhD) in various departments. The Institute made its modest start with introduction of BTech program in August 2016. IIT Bhilai currently offers six undergraduate programs in the disciplines of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DSAI), Electrical Engineering (EE), Mechanical Engineering (ME), Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering (MSME) and Mechatronics Engineering (MT). The institute also offers MTech programs in the discipline of Bioengineering, Electric Vehicle Technology (EVT), Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DSAI), Power Systems and Power Electronics (PSPE), Control and Instrumentation (CI), Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE), Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering (MSME), Design and Manufacturing (DM), Thermal and Fluids Engineering (TFE) and Mechatronics Engineering (MT) as well as MSc programs in Chemistry (CY), Mathematics and Computing (MA), and Physics (PH). Further, the institute offers PhD programs in Bioscience and Biomedical Engineering (BSBME), Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE), Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering (MSME), Chemistry (CY), Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DSAI), Electrical Engineering (EE), Electric Vehicle Technology (EVT), Liberal Arts (LA), Mathematics (MA), Mechanical Engineering (ME), Mechatronics Engineering (MT), and Physics (PH).

Rankings

IIT Bhilai is ranked 81 among the engineering colleges of India by National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in 2023.^[2]

Facilities

The academic building houses the central library, various laboratories and workshops which are equipped with state-of-the-art apparatus.^[3]

Laboratories

There are four laboratories – Computer Centre, Electrical Lab, Physics lab and a Chemistry lab.

The institute has two computer laboratories. The labs have a total of 64 Dell OptiPlex 9020 MT Desktops with 4 GB RAM and 500 GB hard disks, and six Dell PowerEdge R 630 servers.^[4]

Chemistry lab apparatus includes a vortex mixer, rotary evaporator, UV ozone cleaner and so on.^[3] The lab also supports fume extractors which restore the air purity and hence limit the exposure to hazardous or toxic fumes, vapors or dust.^[3]

Workshops

Workshops have been set up in the main building which support prototyping and building of various projects undertaken by both undergraduate as well as post-graduate students. The workshops play an integral role in the curriculum by providing hands-on training to the students. These workshops have served as incubation centers for the first automobile car developed by the students of the mechanical engineering department.

• Digital Fabrication Lab: Equipped with 3D printers and 3D scanners, the Digital fabrication lab caters to the needs of rapid prototyping of plastic parts for various projects. The students learn the basics of designing in the freshman year by courtesy of a course on 3D printing which introduces CAD modelling and gradually builds up to having the students make their own 3D printed projects.
• Do It Yourself (DIY) Lab: The lab provides hands on training of various manufacturing processes. Prioritizing the safety of the students, the training is carried out using table-top machinery and cold-casting in lieu of the traditional methods. The students are introduced to various machinery including Laser cutters, CNCs and Lathes.

Partnerships and collaborations

• Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) has signed a MoU with IIT Bhilai for Industry Academic Collaboration. As part of the MoU that IIT Bhilai signed with Bhilai Steel Plant, IIT Bhilai will provide its services through its faculty and staff members in the areas of joint research & development activities, including those related to innovation & creativity, joint exploration in areas of steel-making, manufacturing, fabrication processes, information technology, etc. to troubleshoot technical problems in various production processes of Bhilai Steel Plant. BSP shall provide internship and project-work opportunities to B.Tech. and M.Tech. students and research scholars from IIT Bhilai.^[5]
• MoU signed between IIT Bhilai and Chhattisgarh Biofuel Development Authority (CBDA) for Academic and Research Cooperation in Biofuels & Bioenergy, on 20 May 2019 ^[6][7]
• MoU signed between IIT Bhilai and CDAC Pune to collaborate on technological development and deployment in the areas of mutual interest, on 14 April 2019 ^[8][7]
• MoU signed between IIT Bhilai and 36Inc - Startup Chhattisgarh for Academic and Research Cooperation on 5 January 2019 ^[7]
• In 2018 the institute's Innovation Council (IIC) was established under the MHRD's Innovation Cell (MIC) scheme. The IIC of IIT Bhilai was recognized by MIC on 21 November 2018
• MoU signed between IIT Bhilai and Vara Technologies for imparting skills on Cyber Security and Internet of Things (IoT), on 11 October 2018 ^[9]
• MoU signed between IIT Bhilai and Infineon Technologies for joint promotion of Infineon's security solutions, on 27 September 2018 ^[10][9]
• MoU signed between IIT Bhilai and Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET) for Academic and Research Cooperation on 23 July 2018 ^[9]
• MoU signed between IIT Bhilai and CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India for Academic and Research Cooperation on 7 June 2018 ^[9]
• MoU was signed between IIT Bhilai and National Chin-Yi University of Technology, Taiwan to partner student/faculty exchange and to foster R&D projects on 2 May 2018 ^[11]
• IIT Bhilai had signed an MoU with Central Public Works Department, Government of India for construction of various components of building and allied service in the permanent campus on 14 March 2018
• MoU signed between IIT Bhilai and IIT Kanpur for sharing of Web-based software on 21 April 2017

Student life

Apart from the academics, the student life at IIT Bhilai various includes extra-curricular activities which are held by various student clubs.^[12] From hackathons to cultural events, all are managed by student bodies. In support of various social causes, the students also volunteer for different activities under the National Service Scheme.^[13] Regular drives of Swachh Bharat Mission are carried out within the campus as well as around it. The students are also involved in teaching drives which cover the neighboring schools in the villages.^[13]

Council of Student Affairs (CoSA)

The Council of Student Affairs (CoSA) was established in 2018. The CoSA is an extension of the student gymkhana system - which was in place during the academic year 2017–18. The CoSA is a canopy for two parallel bodies – The Student Gymkhana (responsible for managing cultural, technical, sports and outreach activities) and the Students’ Senate (manages academic concerns). The bodies consist of elected student representatives from both UG and PG levels and are guided by the faculty members. The President heads the CoSA. The Student Gymkhana and the Students’ Senate further consists of elected students representing various spheres of concern such as cultural (music, dance, art, drama), sports, academics and so on. In 2018, the elections to the above posts were carried out using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and a cent percent voting attendance was recorded.^[12]

MERAZ (Techno-Cultural Fest)

Within a couple of years since its inception, IIT Bhilai conducted its first major annual technical and cultural festival – Meraz.^[14] The fest was held in October 2018 over a span of 3 days and featured events and performances by various professionals from both – the Technical and as well as the Entertainment industry. With an attendance of over a thousand students from all across the state, Meraz brought in a huge influx of technical as well as cultural diversity.^[14]

IIT Bhilai Motorsports

IIT Bhilai Motorsports is a student team as a part of Motorsports Club from Indian Institute of Technology Bhilai. The Club being established in 2017, consists of 60+ members targeting to design and fabricate ATV to compete in national level all terrain vehicle events.

IIT Bhilai Motorsports made its debut at Enduro Student India (ESI) 2019, being the only 3rd gen IIT to participate in this competition. The team successfully cleared technical inspections based on design, engine check and brake check test in static events. In dynamics, the team actively participated in all the events - DirtX, Sprint, Acceleration & Maneuverability as well as Endurance race.

A team of 17 members represented IIT Bhilai Motorsports at Pune in the competition along with more than 70 other teams.

Sports

Apart from the technical laboratories, the transit campus also offers the students an opportunity to practice various sports. Floodlight enabled football ground, volleyball court, basketball court and indoor badminton courts serve as the focal point of sports development in IIT Bhilai.

• Prayatna is a multi-sport, intra-institute event held annually during the winter semester. It was started in 2018 with the motive of encouraging sports as an integral part of one's holistic development. Prayatna spans over two and a half months featuring 5 to 6 teams competing in various indoor and outdoor games.  
• Inter-IIT Sports Meet: IIT Bhilai has been an active participant in the prestigious Inter-IIT games, sending its contingent from the first year itself to the Inter-IIT Sports Meet 2016. In 2017 the institute grabbed its first major trophy by winning the Inter-IIT Impact League.

Covid-19 innovations

• Chemistry Department has developed hand sanitizers, to use across the campus.
• Mechanical Engineering Department has developed novel technologies to help medical doctors and health care personnel like a full face mask, which is not only to protect the mouth and the nose, but also covers the eyes and ears. Reusability is the biggest advantage of the mask and it can be prepared for reuse within 30 minutes. Two N95 compatible filters are attached to this mask for sufficient air circulation. There is an additional feature for attaching hazmat clothing to the mask, which enhances its protection levels while putting on and removing the mask.
• A first generation nasal test swab has been fabricated in-house using biocompatible material. A nanoparticle-based anti-viral/anti-microbial coating on clothing has been developed.
• The institute has worked on building a PAN IIT alumni network for defining COVID-19 test plans.
• A contactless water dispenser has been designed by the Electrical Engineering Lab. It is an IR sensor based device, designed for indoor applications like a water dispenser for washing hands or drinking water kiosk.^[15]
• During these testing times IIT Bhilai has come forward and is providing its ambulance services in collaboration with Sumit Foundation, Raipur for needy patients.^[16]