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Greater Than Us: Rajnath Singh launches IIT Kanpur’s $1 billion campaign with Rs 4,155 crore committed

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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on 14 October 2026 launched Greater Than Us, IIT Kanpur’s campaign to raise US$1 billion (about Rs 9,000 crore) by March 2029, at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Nearly half of that, Rs 4,155 crore, has already been committed by alumni, donors, companies and government partners, the institute said.

Greater Than Us: Rajnath Singh at the launch in New Delhi
Rajnath Singh at the launch in New Delhi Photo: PIB (Government of India, free to use with credit).

IIT Kanpur campaign: three pillars

The Tribune and ETEducation reported that the money will be split across three pillars. Foundation, with a target of Rs 5,000 crore, will pay for research and institutional infrastructure. Talent, with Rs 3,000 crore, will fund scholarships, doctoral fellowships and faculty. Frontier will back new areas such as a Quantum Technology Centre, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, drones and medical technology. IIT Kanpur called it the most ambitious fundraising campaign attempted by an Indian institute.

Key Facts

  • Goal: US$1 billion (about Rs 9,000 crore)
  • Already committed: Rs 4,155 crore
  • Deadline: March 2029
  • Foundation pillar: Rs 5,000 crore
  • Talent pillar: Rs 3,000 crore

“IITs are not merely institutions that impart knowledge, but are increasingly becoming engines of innovation, enterprise and technological capability.”

— Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister (PIB)

Rajnath Singh on indigenous defence technology

Singh called for close collaboration among the armed forces, DRDO, academia, defence public sector units and private industry, including start-ups, to speed up home-grown technologies as warfare changes quickly. PTI quoted him as saying IITs can make a big contribution by aligning research with operational defence needs. He said the IIT ecosystem now supports more than 6,000 start-ups, 56 unicorns and nearly 5,000 patents.

Guests at the IIT Kanpur campaign launch
Guests at the IIT Kanpur campaign launch Photo: PIB (Government of India, free to use with credit).

Greater Than Us: drone hub and what comes next

Singh praised IIT Kanpur’s DRDO-Industry-Academia Centre of Excellence and welcomed a proposal for a School of Defence Technologies at the institute. He said work on a National Military Drone Technology Hub at IIT Kanpur with the defence ministry has made major progress and its approval is close to completion. The institute’s next job is to turn pledges into labs, fellowships and research before the March 2029 deadline.

Why It Matters: A billion-dollar drive would give an Indian public institute the kind of long-term research money usually seen at global universities, with defence technology a key beneficiary.

Also on TrendDesh: ESTIC 2026: DRDO to lead semiconductor and next-gen chips session at Bharat Mandapam · India Czech defence cooperation to expand as Rajnath Singh meets Czech deputy PM Karel Havlicek

Source: PIB · The Tribune · ThePrint (PTI) · ETEducation

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