IIT Dharwad to Host New CoEs as Karnataka Invests in Quantum AI and Defence Tech

Karnataka has approved ₹36 crore to establish two Centres of Excellence (CoEs) — one in Quantum Artificial Intelligence & Computing and another in Defence Technology & Industry 5.0 — under its Local Economy Accelerator Program (LEAP). These will be located at IIT Dharwad and IIIT Dharwad, aiming to boost deeptech innovation in North Karnataka.

Key highlights of the initiative

• Funding & scope:
  • Total allocation: ₹36 crore (₹18 crore each).
  • Part of the LEAP initiative, which has a budget of ₹200 crore this year and ₹1,000 crore over five years.
• Quantum AI & Computing CoE:
  • Partner: IIT Dharwad Research Park Foundation.
  • Focus: Training 1,000 specialists, building faculty capacity, and advancing quantum computing applications.
  • Goal: Position Karnataka as a hub for next-gen computing and AI research.
• Defence Technology & Industry 5.0 CoE:
  • Stakeholders: DhaRti Foundation and IIT Dharwad.
  • Expected outcomes: Incubation of 100+ start-ups and commercialisation of 40+ innovations.
  • Focus areas: Robotics, UAVs, secure communication, and sustainable Industry 5.0 solutions.
• Strategic vision:
  • Strengthen deeptech research and innovation in North Karnataka.
  • Support India’s broader push into quantum technology and defence innovation.
  • Costs include travel, manpower, and outreach to develop the ecosystem.

Broader context

• State positioning: Karnataka is building a quantum and defence innovation hub, complementing national efforts like the National Quantum Mission.
• Quantum City plan: Announced near Bengaluru, aiming for a $20 billion quantum economy by 2035.
• Strategy: Multi-pronged approach—talent, start-up support, and infrastructure for cutting-edge technologies.

---

Why it matters

• For start-ups: Access to incubation, funding, and research partnerships.
• For academia: Faculty development and advanced research opportunities.
• For industry: Commercialisation pathways for defence and quantum innovations.
• For Karnataka: Reinforces leadership in India’s deeptech ecosystem.

Karnataka Gets Its First IIT at Dharwad

The new campus of IIT in Dharwad will facilitate quality education. It will nurture young minds for a better tomorrow

The Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi dedicated and laid the foundation stone of key development projects in Hubballi-Dharwad, Karnataka on Sunday.

The projects include dedicating to the nation IIT Dharwad whose foundation stone was also laid by the Prime Minister in February 2019 and the longest railway platform in the world at 1507m in length at Shree Siddharoodha Swamiji Hubballi Station which has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records recently.

Thread: Campus tour of Indian Institute of Technology, Dharwad (1/6)@iitdhrwd @JoshiPralhad @narendramodi #Dharwad #VidyaKashi #IITDharwad #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/RV3Pr4DmfF

— Hubballi Dharwad Infra (@Hubballi_Infra) March 12, 2023

The new Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) inaugurated is the permanent campus of IIT Dharwad. It is Karnataka's first IIT. Earlier, IIT Dharwad was functioning in a temporary campus, previously of the Water and Land Management Institute (WALMI) in Belur Industrial Area, which is on the outskirts of Dharwad city.

Developed at a cost of over Rs. 850 crores, the institute currently offers a 4-year B.Tech. programs, inter-disciplinary 5-year BS-MS program, M.Tech. and PhD programs.

Touted as Tech Hub and state of Bengaluru city, the Silicon Valley of India, Karnataka has been (arguably) deprived of getting any IIT. Prime Minister Narendra Modi govt sanctioned IIT-Dharwad in Union Budget 2015-16.

Dharwad, which is renowned as Vidhya Kashi or Shikshana Kashi, will host Karnataka's first IIT. The Prime Minister paid tribute to cultural doyens from Dharwad.

 

Dharwad is known as the cultural capital of Karnataka known for its literature and music. The Prime Minister paid tribute to cultural doyens from Dharwad.

“The new campus of IIT in Dharwad will facilitate quality education while nurturing young minds for a better tomorrow”, the Prime Minister said.

PM Modi underlined that the new IIT campus is scripting a new chapter in the history of Karnataka’s development journey. He noted the high tech facilities of the Dharwad IIT campus and stated that it will act as a source of inspiration which will take the institution to the same heights as other leading institutions of the world.

Highlighting that the IIT Dharwad campus is a prime example of the ‘Sankalp se Siddhi’ (i.e achievement by resolutions) spirit of the present government, the Prime Minister recalled laying its foundation stone in February 2019 and expressed happiness on its completion within a span of 4 years, even though many hurdles came along the way owing to the Coronavirus pandemic. “From laying foundation stones to inaugurating projects, the double-engine government works at a constant speed”, the Prime Minister continued, “We believe in the resolve of inaugurating the same projects whose foundations stones are laid by us.”

IIT Dharwad campus as of February 2023

 
It is to be noted that, the late Union Human Resources Development Minister S. R. Bommai had moved the proposal to the Centre seeking an IIT in Dharwad in the 1990s.

Later in 1998, a committee headed by former ISRO chairman and space scientist Udupi Ramachandra Rao submitted its report recommending an IIT in Hubballi-Dharwad.

Union finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the 2015-16 union budget, sanctioned a budget for IIT for Karnataka state.