IIT Kanpur, Madras, Bombay, and IISc Join MIT in AI Collaboration Under TRUST Initiative

Pradhan proposed forming a joint MIT-IIT committee to deepen collaboration in AI for education, aligning with India’s national priority to nurture AI research and talent from school to higher education.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan spearheaded a meeting bringing together top Indian institutes—IIT Kanpur, IIT Madras, IIT Bombay, and IISc Bangalore—with a delegation from MIT to advance the India-U.S. TRUST initiative. The discussions, focusing on AI, deep-tech, innovation, and entrepreneurship, aim to position India as a global leader in technology while fostering groundbreaking collaborations in education and research.

The meeting, attended by MIT’s Dean of Engineering, Prof. Anantha Chandrakasan, and key Indian diplomats like Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra and CGI New York Binay Srikant, emphasized the strategic importance of the Transforming the Relationship Utilising Strategic Technology (TRUST) initiative. Launched earlier by India and the U.S., TRUST seeks to accelerate AI infrastructure development, with a roadmap to deploy U.S.-origin AI systems in India by the end of 2025, as outlined in a joint statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then-U.S. President Donald Trump.

Pradhan proposed forming a joint MIT-IIT committee to deepen collaboration in AI for education, aligning with India’s national priority to nurture AI research and talent from school to higher education. “AI in education is a national priority for India. We’re fostering research, innovation, and talent to build the next generation of AI leaders,” he stated in a follow-up post on X. This initiative builds on India’s recent efforts, including the October 2024 announcement of three AI Centres of Excellence focusing on healthcare, agriculture, and sustainable cities, led by IITs and AIIMS to democratize AI innovations.

The collaboration also ties into broader India-U.S. tech partnerships, with the upcoming 2025 INDUS-X summit set to expand cooperation in space, energy, and emerging technologies.

Discussions highlighted the importance of AI literacy for K-12 students, a growing global focus, with MIT researchers like Cynthia Breazeal contributing to frameworks for early AI education.

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