Chennai: IIT-Madras will set up five centres across the world to promote global outreach and exchange technology, business/startup ideas, and projects, said institute director V Kamakoti on Friday.

The centres — two in the US and one each in Germany, Dubai, and Malaysia — will go live in a phased manner from Jan next year. “Each centre will have a specific area of focus (for projects) depending on where they are placed. We gave an initial investment to these centres, but they will work on a self-sustaining model,” the director said after briefing mediapersons on the 27th edition of IIT-M’s tech fest ‘Shaastra’ — to be held from Jan 2-6, Kamakoti said further details on the centres will be divulged after Union external affairs minister S Jaishankar launches the fest on Jan 2.

Murugaiyan Amirthalingam, co-curricular advisor, IIT-M, shared the highlights of this year’s fest, including an open house on Day 1, when more than 20,000 school students and 10,000 college students from across the country will visit the campus. “As a social cause, a student-led campaign ‘Hear4You’ will be held to bring persons with hearing disabilities to the mainstream and promote awareness on hearing issues. As part of this, a 5k run will be organised at the beach in Besant Nagar on Dec 28,” he added.

“An educators’ training conclave, VidyaVahak, will be held for 150 schoolteachers selected from govt and tribal schools in digitisation, simulation, foundation learning, and management and pedagogy,” Kamakoti added.

First-time events such as a ‘nitro-fuelled robotic racing’ challenge; ‘Neurohack’, a hackathon based on brain-computer interface; and E-Contest — a coding challenge based on esoteric program — will be held at the fest. Other innovative additions include robowars, in which more than 40 teams from India, Malaysia, Brazil, and Russia would take part. Workshops on digital governance, sustainable manufacturing, and exhibitions at around 130 stalls will be featured.

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