CHENNAI: In a significant push to take Indian deep-tech innovation to global markets, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras Global Research Foundation (IITM Global) has announced the launch of its first centre in the United States – at Menlo Park, California – with a planned investment of $7.5 million.
The announcement was made at the SelectUSA Investment Summit, positioning the initiative as one of the first major overseas deep-tech expansion efforts by an Indian Institute of Technology.
Strategically located near Silicon Valley, the centre is expected to serve as a launchpad for Indian startups seeking access to global capital, research ecosystems, industry partnerships and international markets. The West Coast facility, launched on April 24 in partnership with CA Startups, includes a greenfield investment of $4.5 million from IITM Global.
“This expansion into the US represents a natural progression of IIT-M’s vision to take Indian research and innovation to the global stage,” said V Kamakoti, dean. “The Menlo Park centre will deepen collaboration with global industry leaders, academia and venture ecosystems.”
Raghunathan Rengaswamy, director, IITM Global, said “The US presence will help accelerate translational research and scale deep-tech ventures emerging from India.”
Preeti Aghalayam, dean (Global Engagement), IIT-M, said, “The initiative will create a stronger innovation corridor between India and the US, benefiting researchers, students and entrepreneurs.”
IIT-M Global CEO Thirumalai Madhavnarayan stated the centre would function as a strategic anchor for the organisation’s US operations and support the commercialisation of advanced technologies.
The foundation has also announced plans to establish a second centre on the East Coast of the US to expand its engagement with policy, financial and academic ecosystems.