PanIIT Alumni Impact Study
The PanIIT Alumni Impact Study, led by PanIIT Alumni, was conducted with the endeavour of taking stock of contributions made by IITians over the last 50 years across professions and geographies, and to create a fact-base for mobilizing the IITs and IITians to initiate dialogue on achieving more, individually and collectively.
Launched on September 22, 2008, an important part of this study was a global web-based survey that attempted to map the impact of IITians on the global economy across impact areas like entrepreneurship, scientific and technological achievement, as well as social transformation, research, educational and leadership contributions. The survey with participation from over 4,500 IIT alumni provided a robust sample from which to draw preliminary conclusions.
Highlights of the Study
- Over 2,00,000 students have graduated from the seven IIT campuses since 1954 (including Roorkee before it became IIT). Of these, 40% were from undergraduate programs and 60% from graduate programs.
- Overall, IIT alumni in senior positions in industry and Government across the world today have budgetary responsibility for over USD 885 Billion (Rs 4,00,0000 crore). When measured across industry, Government, entrepreneurial activity and scientific/technological innovations, IIT alumni have been associated with over USD 450 Billion (Rs 2,00,0000 crore) of incremental economic value creation. They have also been involved in the creation of over 20 million new jobs.
- Of IIT alumni who graduated prior to 2001, four out of 10 are in top leadership roles in corporations, educational institutions, research labs, NGOs, Governmental agencies, politics, and as entrepreneurial heads of their own companies. A majority of these top leaders believe they have contributed most through their personal impact on innovation relating to product, process, services, etc.
- Among IIT alumni who are in top-leadership roles, seven out of 10 are currently based in India with two out 10 coming back to India after careers in other parts of the world. There is clear evidence of a significant increase in the number of India-based alumni in leadership roles starting with the period when economic liberalization was introduced in the early 1990s.
- An important indicator of the role being played by IIT alumni in Indian corporations is the fact that 54% of the top 500 Indian companies currently have at least one IIT alumnus on their board of directors, and these companies have cumulative revenue that is 10 times greater than that of the other companies on the list.
- One in five IIT alumni work in research and education. And 75-80% of IIT alumni in research and education continue to work in science and technology-related areas. Half of the IIT alumni in research and education are based in India, and of these two out of five have returned to India.
- One in 10 IIT alumni are currently engaged in social transformation working in NGOs, Government administration or politics, on programs relating to education, the environment, or poverty reduction, etc. IIT alumni working in this area have founded over a thousand NGOs. One in 10 IIT alumni has started their own companies, with over 40% of them being serial entrepreneurs. Two-thirds of the companies founded are in India.