The world we live in today carries the quiet touch of an engineer in every corner of life. Be it the roads we travel, the cars we ride, the elevators that carry us up, or even the invisible networks that connect us through the internet. Yet behind these conveniences lies a bigger question; are we preparing the next generation of engineers to meet global challenges? On September 15, as India celebrates National Engineer’s Day to mark the 164th birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, we turned to IIT Hyderabad Director Prof Budaraju Srinivasa Murty. He shares his thoughts on urgent reforms in engineering education, the need for innovation over rote learning, and how Indian engineers can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world.
Excerpts
As the Director of IIT Hyderabad, what changes do you believe are most urgent to ensure India produces globally competitive engineers?
That’s a very important question ahead of Engineer’s Day. To be honest, very few students today join IITs with the goal of becoming ‘engineers’. Most look for high-paying jobs, often in FinTech and multinational companies. In the past, students came to IITs aspiring to be good mechanical or electrical engineers. That spirit is slowly disappearing. So, the urgent reform is to bring back the culture of real engineering, doing things with one’s own hands. At IIT Hyderabad, we’ve started initiatives like:
Innovation Support – Every semester, students can submit innovative project ideas. If selected, we fund them with Rs 1 lakh. They can even take a semester break (with credits) or a diploma break after the 2nd year to focus on their idea, with the option to return within 5 years.
The Bharati Initiative – First-semester students are grouped (interdisciplinary) under faculty mentors. They meet weekly, brainstorm, and work hands-on. Students have already built projects like 8-bit computers from scratch.
India must move from being only a service country to a product and technology country. I want to see our graduates working at companies like Qualcomm, Tata Motors or launching their own startups, rather than just standing in queues for Infosys or TCS. Already, 25% of IIT Hyderabad’s BTech students are into startups.
Do you think India’s current engineering education is aligned with the skills and mindset needed for the industries of tomorrow?
Unfortunately, not fully. Traditional branches like civil, mechanical, and electrical are shrinking in many colleges. If this continues, 20 years later, we may need to import engineers to build our bridges and roads. Institutions must work closely with industry and launch need-based programmes. At IIT Hyderabad, we have introduced:
BTech in Computational Engineering (launched 2021) : India’s first interdisciplinary programme blending applied mathematics, solid/fluid mechanics, multi-scale modeling, etc, aimed at aerospace, automobiles, and manufacturing.
BTech in Electrical Engineering (IC Design & Technology) (launched 2022) : To prepare students for India’s semiconductor mission, focusing on IC design and fabrication.
BTech in Industrial Chemistry: To meet industry demand in petrochemicals, textiles, food processing, agriculture, etc, where strong chemistry knowledge is crucial.
BTech in Engineering Sciences: A flexible, 130-credit programme where students design their own curriculum across multiple branches.
We must also think of future-oriented programs: energy, smart mobility, renewable technologies, and sustainability.
What gaps do you see between academic research in engineering and its real-world application in India?
The gap is significant. Industries need real products and prototypes, not just papers. If brilliant IIT students vanish into software jobs, manufacturing suffers. At IIT Hyderabad, we try to close this gap through:
The TiHAN Hub, where we developed and deployed AI-powered autonomous driverless buses on campus.
Collaborative research in Beyond 5G and 6G technologies with international industry partners.
Sustainability projects like biodegradable packaging films from sewage sludge and eggshell waste.Academic programmes must connect directly to industry needs.
Apart from IITs, lakhs of graduates come out of private colleges every year. Why are those institutes unable to adopt such models?
Many private universities actually have more autonomy than IITs. The issue is whether they use that freedom wisely. If they ask, ‘What does India really need?’ and redesign curricula accordingly, transformation is possible. We’ve shown proof of concept. In the past five years:
320 startups were incubated at IIT Hyderabad, generating over Rs1,500 crore in revenue.
580 patents were filed, with ~220 in the past year alone under our ‘Patent-a-Day’ mission.
So, change is possible when institutions take responsibility.
Can you share some contributions of Indian engineers in recent decades that you feel are globally underrated?
There are many. For instance:
Contributions in semiconductors and devices fabrication.
India’s role in setting 5G standards, now recognised globally.
Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, which was supplied worldwide.
Such achievements must be highlighted more to inspire students.
The world belongs to AI, what new opportunities will open for engineers in future?
AI by itself is not valuable, it needs an application. The future belongs to Engineers + AI.
For example: At IIT Hyderabad, we run an MTech in Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME), using AI to design new steels and materials. Our AI faculty come from diverse backgrounds — mechanical, civil, agriculture, electronics — not just computer science. So the future engineer will be someone who knows a core domain plus how to leverage AI in it.
If you had the power to change one thing in India’s engineering education today, what would it be?
Make education far more hands-on. Out of 130 BTech credits, at least 30–50 should be practical, project-based credits. That shift alone will transform India’s engineers.
In your view, who are the greatest engineers India has produced?
There are many. To name a few:
Dr APJ Abdul Kalam – for his contributions in aerospace and defence.
Sir M Visvesvaraya – a legendary civil engineer and statesman.
Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan and other who shaped India’s space programme.
Even physicists like Homi J Bhabha, who transformed into nation-builders.
India has plenty of role models, we just need to recognise and celebrate them.
What is your message to young engineers stepping into today’s uncertain world?
Uncertainty exists only in the mind. If you truly enjoy engineering, like I enjoy metallurgy, you’ll always see opportunities. Students must be willing to learn continuously and apply their skills broadly, instead of chasing only one type of job.
Finally, if Sir M Visvesvaraya were alive today, what message do you think he would give to engineers?
He would tell us: ‘Jump into labs. Don’t sit only in front of computers. Build with your hands. That is how you make India great.’