TUD and IIT Madras deepen transCampus collaboration in microelectron­ics, AI, medicine, sustainability, transport sciences, and entrepreneur­ship

From 18 to 20 May 2026, the first comprehensive transCampus conference between TUD Dresden University of Technology and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) took place at TUD. The conference brought together institutional leadership and more than 40 faculty members from both institutions, as well as representatives of the Saxon State Ministry for Science, Culture and Tourism (SMWK) and the Saxon State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Labour, Energy and Climate Action (SMWA). Both the institutions formalized aspects of their cooperation through a Memorandum of Understanding between TUD|excite and IITM Global for start-up engagement.

The conference marked a new stage in this partnership by bringing together key stakeholders to define shared priorities for the coming years. The resulting 2026 Dresden Declaration will focus on strengthening joint activities in microelectronics, artificial intelligence, medicine, sustainability, transport sciences, and bidirectional startup support.

The “transCampus” model represents the most advanced form of strategic institutional collaboration between TUD and selected international partners such as IIT Madras, one of India’s leading technical universities. The conference is grounded in a strong track record of engagement over the past two years, including bilateral faculty and researcher visits, start-up workshops, student mobility programs, institutional delegations, scientific conferences, and high-level policy dialogues.

Prof. Ursula Staudinger, Rector of TUD: Our collaboration with IIT Madras is part of our joint transCampus initiative, which brings our universities together to jointly shape research, teaching, and innovation. We have advanced this partnership with remarkable speed, depth, and ambition across several strategic fields, including microelectronics, artificial intelligence, healthcare, sustainability research, and start-up support. This conference laid the foundation for further scientific collaboration.”

Prof. Preeti Aghalayam, Dean of Global Engagement, IIT Madras:
“It has been an honor to participate in the inaugural TUD–IITM transCampus Conference 2026. On behalf of the Director, Prof. V. Kamakoti, and the 23-member IITM delegation, I express my sincere gratitude to TU Dresden for the hospitality. Our intense scientific discussions during this conference bode very well for a future in which we explore collaborative research, teaching, and technology development together. Our shared values and focus on global impact will, I am confident, remain meaningful to the world for a long time to come.”

Prof. Jürgen Stamm, Dean of transCampus TUD:
“The highly successful first TUD–IITM transCampus Conference has demonstrated the strong momentum of this strategic partnership, turning shared scientific excellence into concrete opportunities for joint research, teaching, transfer, and innovation.”

Prof. Raghunathan Rengaswamy, Dean of transCampus IIT Madras:
“The transCampus initiative will be a game-changer for both our universities and set a model for intensifying Indo-German science collaboration.”

Impressions of the transCampus Conference 2026

Background: India as a strategic partner of TU Dresden

India is a key strategic partner for TUD as a globally recognized hub of innovation and technology. The majority of international students at TUD come from India, with hundreds of new students beginning their studies in Dresden each year. To support this growing academic exchange, TUD operates a coordination office in Chennai (formerly Madras) on behalf of the Saxon State Ministry for Science, Culture and Tourism. The office strengthens collaboration between researchers and entrepreneurs in India and Saxony and supports the recruitment of particularly promising STEM students.

To strengthen this relationship, TUD and IIT Madras signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a transCampus partnership in 2024.

Since summer 2024, TU Dresden and IIT Madras, in cooperation with RWTH Aachen, have been teaching the joint Master’s degree program  Water Security and Global Change.  It encourages students to not only address water security issues from a variety of perspectives, but also helps them garner important international and intercultural experience for their careers by studying at three excellent universities on two continents.

Background: transCampus partnership

The “transCampus” is a strategic international partnership model between two universities, characterized by shared structures and joint institutional frameworks. It integrates complementary strengths in portfolios, expertise, and infrastructure to enable high-impact collaboration.

Its primary focus is excellent research that strengthens the academic profile of TUD. Each transCampus partnership also defines additional priorities such as early-career researcher training, education initiatives, and technology transfer.

Contact
Dr. Avinash Chekuru
International Office, TU Dresden
Tel.: +49 351 463-36121
Email: avinash.chekuru@tu-dresden.de