CHENNAI: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) on Tuesday (July 7) announced plans to establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Neurodiversity to advance research, develop assistive technologies and create sustainable employment pathways for neurodivergent individuals through partnerships with government, industry and civil society.
The proposal was unveiled at the Neurodiversity Summit 2026, which brought together researchers, policymakers, non-governmental organisations, industry leaders and community stakeholders to chart a long-term strategy for building an inclusive ecosystem.
The proposed centre will focus on digital assessment tools, personalised assistive technologies, adaptive vocational solutions and capacity building, while serving as a platform for collaborative research and technology translation.
Addressing the summit here, IIT-Madras director V Kamakoti said, “Early identification of neurodivergent conditions, technology development, evidence-based interventions, skilled educators and caregivers, affordable assistive technologies and meaningful employment should form the foundation of the proposed centre. We need employment pathways that move beyond tokenism. We should identify specific employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Partnerships with NGOs will play a critical role in strengthening evidence-based interventions.”
Institute of Mental Health Director Dr M Malaiappan said that neurodivergent behaviour, cognition and emotions remained insufficiently understood and called for deeper scientific research. “Collaboration among service providers, academia and technology institutions like IIT-M is essential. That’s why the proposed Centre of Excellence is a great step forward,” he added.
Summit coordinators Arshinder Kaur and Viswanath Kumar Ganesan said that participants had agreed to jointly develop “scalable, technology-enabled solutions” and build a federated ecosystem supporting lifelong learning, independent living and sustainable employment.
As part of the immediate action plan, IIT-Madras and its partner organisations will pilot personalised recommendation engines, adaptive training systems and assistive technologies, establish prototype nodal centres and train personnel. The summit also proposed creating a digital platform connecting neurodivergent individuals with employers, mentors, researchers and funding opportunities while generating evidence to support future public policy on inclusion.