IIT-KGP is expected to operate as IIT-Orissa's mentor for the next three years since the Orissa government is yet to decide on the location and infrastructure for IIT-Orissa.
Recently, the Union HRD ministry had announced that admissions into Orissa-IIT would start from the current academic year but that now seems improbable as the location of the technical school is yet to be decided. The Centre had announced eight new IITs to be set up during the Eleventh Five Year Plan in Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Punjab, Gujarat, Andhra, Bihar and Rajasthan. According to official sources, the Union HRD ministry had asked for 600 acres of land within a 30 km radius of the Orissa capital