What is Pan IIT

So what exactly is PanIIT, and how did it come about? The PanIIT movement took root in 2002, when some like-minded alumni formed a PanIIT Board. The board organized two events in San Jose (January 2003) and Bangalore (February 2003), which were highly successful.

The PanIIT organization was formed as an umbrella organization, covering alumni of all 7 IIT’s, to evolve a brand that would provide strong fraternity among IIT alumni. In 2002, some like-minded alumni belonging to all IIT's came together and formed a PanIIT Board. The Pan IIT Board had hosted the San Jose (Jan 2003) and Bangalore (Feb 2003) events, which were highly successful.

Vision, Mission, Objectives, Initiatives and Deliverables of PanIIT

PanIIT Vision

• The Vision of PanIIT is to help IITs and IIT Alumni achieve their full potential and be counted among the best in the world.

PanIIT Mission

• Provide networking opportunities for members of the IIT system
• Proactive contribution to nation building
• Enhance the IIT Brand
• Engagement with the IIT governance and vision
• To provide a forum for advocacy

Alumni Networking

Over the years, PanIIT movement has developed and consolidated itself in many ways. It has now fully functional chapters in India, US, EU, Canada, Australia, Japan, Singapore. It has organized a number of events to permit alumni networking:

• Global Events: IIT50 (San Jose, 2003), PanIIT 2004 (Delhi), PanIIT 2005 (Washington DC) , PanIIT 2006, PanIIT 2007
• Regional Events: IIT50 (Bangalore, 2003), IIT EU (Hamburg), Toronto, Singapore, Lucknow, Hyderabad
• Next event: PanIIT 2008 in Chennai

It has also created IIT Alumni Resource Center which offers Web, directory and network-based services.

Nation Building

• 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

Branding

• IITs as world class institutions
• US Congress House Resolution
• Proclamations about contribution of IIT’s and IITians by some US States
• Mention of IIT’s in a special edition of the US popular TV Program "60 minutes"
• Creation of a IITian character "Asok" in cartoons of Dilbert

Engagement with the IIT’s

PanIIT has supported IIT’s and IITians in many ways:

• Formation of Academic Research Advisory Council (ARAC) to define the ‘Research Eco System’
• Facilitate arrangements 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 IIT Affinity Card

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 – please see News section of this site for the latest developments on this front.