IIT Madras surpasses ‘One Patent A Day’ vision with 417 patents filed in 2024-25, ET Education
Leading the nation in innovation and IP creation, Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) students, researchers, and faculty filed a total of 417 patents during the 2024-25 financial year, surpassing the ambitious ‘One Patent A Day’ vision set by Director Prof V Kamakoti. This remarkable achievement includes 298 Indian patents and 119 international patents.
In addition to patent filings, the institute also filed 39 designs, 6 copyrights, and 1 trademark, bringing the total number of Intellectual Property (IP) filings to an impressive 463 for 2024-25.
A testament to growing industry collaboration
Over the last five years, IIT Madras has successfully developed and transferred various technologies to industry partners, including startups, MSMEs, and multinational corporations through licensing deals collectively worth Rs. 28 crore. One of the biggest milestones was the transfer of the 5G RAN sub-system technology to Tejas Network, a part of the TATA Group.
This milestone assumes special significance as the world gears up to celebrate ‘World Intellectual Property Day’ on 26th April 2025. According to the World Intellectual Property Organisation, IP rights enable researchers, inventors, businesses, designers, and artists to protect their creative and innovative outputs and secure an economic return.
Expanding frontiers in high-impact fields
IIT Madras has been filing patents across several emerging and high-impact sectors, including energy and battery innovations, microfluidic technologies, healthcare and assistive applications, robotics, and artificial intelligence. During 2024, a large volume of inventions was filed in domains such as Electronics and Communication, Energy and Environment, Mechanical and Automotive, Healthcare and Medical Devices, Robotics and Automation, and Materials and Manufacturing, among others.
Congratulating the students, researchers, faculty, and the IP Cell, Prof V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “For India to be a Technology Superpower as we march towards Viksit Bharat @ 2047, protecting our Intellectual Properties is crucial. I am very proud that the IIT Madras team has filed 417 patents in the financial year 2024-25, with a significant rise in the number of international patents.”
Consistent growth in patent filings
The number of patents filed by IIT Madras has seen consistent growth over the years:
- 2020-21: 119 Indian, 80 International
- 2021-22: 144 Indian, 70 International
- 2022-23: 157 Indian, 75 International
- 2023-24: 293 Indian, 85 International
- 2024-25: 298 Indian, 119 International
Creating innovation through a robust ecosystem
Prof Manu Santhanam, Dean (ICSR), IIT Madras, elaborated, “IIT Madras has been leading in IP filing among academic institutions in the country, understanding the significance of protecting innovations that will fuel the industries of tomorrow. The transfer of technology to the industry has also been scaled up in recent times, leading to the direct impact of IIT Madras research in practice.”
Highlighting the enabling ecosystem created by the Institute, Prof Prabhu Rajagopal, Advisor (IPM Cell) and Head, School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, IIT Madras, said, “As India’s leading research-led academic institution, IIT Madras prides itself in pushing the envelope of innovation by students, researchers, and faculty. The Institute has created a structured organisational support ecosystem, driving these processes through an IPM Cell. A dedicated office under the Dean (IC&SR) also oversees IP licensing and technology transfers. The results of these initiatives are reflected in the increasing numbers of IP filed, granted, and licensed in recent years.”
Prof Prabhu Rajagopal, who has co-founded six deep-tech startups and advises two more, further added, “Moreover, as India’s leading nucleus for deep-tech, the Institute has been strongly promoting IP-backed and deep research-based startups that are disrupting various spheres from space to quantum, through bodies like the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the IIT Madras Incubation Cell. World IP Day provides an excellent occasion to celebrate our students, faculty, and staff members driving these initiatives. This year, the event is being jointly conducted by various organisations and will also recognise stakeholders driving change through IP.”
Scaling technology transfers
Over the past five years, the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) at IIT Madras has doubled its licensing revenue and tripled the number of IPs licensed. On average, TTO generates Rs. 2.5 crore annually through licensing deals, facilitating one to two deals per month. TTO also boosts the IIT Madras startup ecosystem by facilitating technology licensing to student and faculty inventor-owned startups.
During 2024-25, the TTO successfully licensed over 30 IPs/Patents with companies such as Tunga Aerospace, OEG, AspenTech, Ciena, Rural-Mandi, InsituMicron, Jahen & Jos, Envitran, Zemblance, Greenvironment, Thryv, Chrissron, Raksha Solutions, Sonolight, ParvAI Labs, Tritiyaeye, among others. Focus on IP, especially patents, has increased significantly due to more PCT and international patent filings.
Structured process for IP protection
IIT Madras has established a structured patent filing process to foster innovation and protect intellectual property. The Office of Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research (ICSR) coordinates all aspects related to IP and technology transfer, supported by a dedicated Legal Cell.
The process begins with inventors submitting their Invention Disclosure Forms to the Intellectual Property Management (IPM) Cell within ICSR. The IPM Cell has worked closely with research groups to review inventions and prototypes, leading to a surge in design filings. A focused effort on copyright protection for researchers’ creative works has also contributed to a substantial number of copyright applications in the last financial year.
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