IIT-Madras gets largest-ever single donation of Rs 228 cr from alumnus

The Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-Madras) has received the largest single donation in its history of Rs 228 crore from industrialist and its alumnus Krishna Chivukula. This donation is one of the largest-ever made to an educational institution in India.

Though industrialists had contributed much more for educational institutions in the past, it was over a period of time and not in a single tranche. For example, in 2014, Kris Gopalakrishnan had announced a 10-year grant of Rs 225 crore for a Centre for Brain Research (CBR) inside the campus of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru. Before the tenure ended, he renewed the commitment through an additional grant of Rs 450 crore over the next decade. Gopalakrishan had also contributed around Rs 100 crore to IIT-Madras too.

IIT-Madras named an academic block in honour of Chivukula — “Krishna Chivukula Block” — during an event at the campus on Tuesday. Chivukula in 1997 brought to India a state-of-the-art engineering manufacturing technology called “Metal Injection Molding (MIM)” while it was still an emerging technology in the US. Presently, his company, the INDO US MIM Tec, occupies the number-one position in the world in MIM technology in terms of capacity and sales, and has a projected turnover of nearly Rs 1,000 crore. IIT-Madras recognized his professional excellence and contributions to the community by conferring on him the “Distinguished Alumnus Award” during 2015.

“My education at IIT-Madras, in addition to being extremely memorable and enjoyable, enabled me to accomplish much in life and put me in a position whereby I can give back to the Institute a gift — one of the largest single donations to date to a university in India,” Chivukula said.

This donation will be utilized for multiple purposes, including supporting international students to study at IIT-Madras through scholarship, research excellence grant programme, an undergraduate fellowship programme for freshers, etc.

IIT-Madras raised a historic high of Rs 513 crore during 2023-24, a 135 per cent increase from the previous financial year. In recent years, IIT-Madras has emerged as a national leader in “Tech Driven CSR” through which the institute is translating the cutting-edge research underway in its labs to actual products that benefit society and the country at large with support from the alumni, donors and corporate firms.

The number of donors giving over Rs 1 crore to the institute is 48 (16 alumni donors and 32 corporate partners). The total amount raised through alumni alone during 2023-24 was Rs 367 crore, which was an increase of 282 per cent compared to the previous year. Their focus areas included cutting-edge research across various social-impact themes, infrastructure, and scholarships for students, besides establishing chair professorships for research in specific areas. The Office of Institutional Advancement, which is responsible for this outreach, is an initiative of the IIT Madras Alumni Charitable Trust.

“We are profoundly grateful to Dr Krishna Chivukula, an esteemed alumnus of IIT-Madras, for his extraordinary generosity and unwavering commitment to our institution. His monumental contribution, the largest-ever single donation received by IIT-Madras, stands as a testament to his dedication to fostering excellence in education, research, and innovation. Chivukula’s visionary support will significantly enhance our capabilities and propel IIT-Madras to new heights. His contribution not only elevates our institution but also serves as an inspiring example of how our alumni community continues to drive meaningful change,” said Kaviraj Nair, chief executive officer, Office of Institutional Advancement, IIT-Madras. 

Chivukula graduated with an MTech (Aerospace Engineering), majoring in jet propulsion in 1970 from IIT-Madras. In addition, he received an MBA from The Harvard Business School in 1980. After a stint as Group President and CEO at the Hoffman Group of Companies in New York, Chivukula founded two “world number one” companies in succession. Shiva Technologies Inc. in 1990 specializing in Advanced Mass Spectroscopy to certify ultrahigh purity materials and Indo MIM Pvt Ltd in Bengaluru to produce small metal and ceramic components with complex geometries in high volumes.