Chartered in 2002 by alumni belonging to all the then seven IITs, the PanIIT movement over the years has developed and consolidated itself in many ways - fully functional chapters in India, US, EU, Canada, Australia, Japan, and Singapore amongst others; organized a number of global and regional events to permit alumni networking.

The 2004 event in Delhi - whose theme was "Empower India" - was the turning point for the movement. It was decided that the PanIIT Alumni organization should bring nation-building within its scope and take up the following tasks:

• Improve PanIIT branding and become an important lobbying forum
  The branding exercise was to be achieved through regular interactions with the media by IITians. Another role was that of providing moral leadership and influencing public opinion. It also involved setting up networking/lobbying groups to influence investment panels/governments in the areas of administration (IAS), defence, NGO liaison and a US chamber lobby.
• Undertake 'Empowering India' tasks
  This involved setting up focus groups and writing position papers on matters of national importance, like globalization, future of computing, the automobile sector, defence, water, power, rural development, education etc.
• Interact with the IIT system to grow the IIT brand
  Here, the tasks were to ensure that the IIT brand was not diluted due to political or extraneous factors, working on IIT-industry interaction to commercialise technologies, improving the research infrastructure at IITs etc.
• Setting up a PanIIT secretariat
  To convert all these plans into action, a Global Secretariat was proposed to be set up. Its job was to ensure action and continuity, raise funds, coordinate worldwide etc.
  President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who gave an inspiring talk at this event suggested involving IITians in developing rural areas and fostering the spirit of entrepreneurship in the hinterland of the country.

Some of the initiatives that resulted from the 2004 event

• Knowledge Initiative
  • Creation of a Rs. 50 crore fund by Ministry of Science & Technology to co-operatively work with PanIIT Alumni for developing technologies that benefit rural India
• Pi-Fort (Pan IIT Foundation For Rural Transformation)
  • Setting up a 'proof of concept' for a marketing/ distribution network resulting in better yield for farmer
  • Portal for harvesting technologies
  • Knowledge base of existing initiatives by various IITians and IITian led organisations
• Pi-Foci (Pan IIT Future of Computing Initiative)
  • White paper on the appropriate technology stack (hardware, software, communication, applications) for developing countries

Engagement with the IIT's

• Formation of Academic Research Advisory Council (ARAC) to define the 'Research Eco System'
• Facilitation & engagements with US Universities
• PiTech magazine: A quarterly magazine to publish research at the IITs and by IITians
• Individual alumni associations help in faculty recruitment, knowledge interchange and collaborative projects

Advocacy

• Creation of technology advisory groups with Ministry of Science and Technology
• Stand on quotas and reservation policies in institutions of higher education in India
• PanIIT Panch Ratnas - This white paper is in response to the invitation extended by the Hon'ble President of India, Smt Pratibha Devisingh Patil, to PanIIT Alumni India to propose initiatives that the Government of India (GoI) should take to reform higher education in India, when the PanIIT delegation called on her on 5th February 2009. This paper proposes five actions, 'Panch Ratnas', that the Government should immediately undertake in order for India to become a global hub for knowledge creation and talent development by 2022.