The Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), formerly known as the University Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT), is a premier research institute for chemical technology and which is located in Mumbai, India. It focuses on the training and research activities in various branches of Chemical Engineering and Technology and Pharmacy. It was established in 1933 and was granted a Deemed University status in 2008 thereby making it the only State-Funded Deemed University in India.
About ICT
The Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) Mumbai was established as the Department of Chemical Technology on 1st October, 1933 by the University of Mumbai through the active support of various industries and philanthropists. The Institute was more popularly known as UDCT Mumbai, where research has been an integral part of the Institute right from its beginning. It has created over 500 first generation entrepreneurs since its inception.
Subsequently, the UDCT gradually grew significantly in stature and was granted autonomy under UGC regulations by the University of Mumbai while further getting converted into an Institute on 26th January, 2002. Under the World Bank TEQIP programme, the Maharashtra Government granted it full autonomy in June 2004. And after further recommendations from the Government of Maharashtra and the University of Mumbai, the ICT was granted a Deemed University Status by the MHRD on 12th September, 2008, with all the provisions granted by the UGC for funding and support as an State Owned Deemed University.
Campus Life
ICT is located on a 16 acres (65,000 m2) campus. The main building faces Nathalal Parikh Marg and has a beautiful architectural style with fine dressed stone. Other buildings of the Institute include three boys hostels, two girls hostels and several faculty and staff apartments which are located behind the main building. The rear boundary of the institute runs along Kidwai Road.
Hostels
Several on-campus hostels provide accommodation to students from all educational streams. There are a total of 5 hostel buildings which cater to the students’ need of accommodation.
Old Boys Hostel
The Hostel No. 1, better known as the old hostel, was established in 1952. It has accommodations for 160 students and four faculty members. It has 48 single rooms and 48 double rooms.
New Boys Hostel No. 5
This hostel was built and inaugurated in 2005. The money for this Rs. 70 million building was raised by the alumni of the college. It has 7 floors, about 190 double rooms, 3 large guest rooms, 4 faculty flats, a dining hall, a health clinic and a gym.
Library
The Library of the Institute attracts a wide variety of readers, students, scholars, technologists and industrialists. The library has a specialized collection in the field of Chemical Engineering/Chemical Technology and possesses some of the rarest reports and books. It has 38,200 books, 25,290 journals and 10,000 standards, and further subscribes to 120 international and 25 national journals. It also has a M.O.U. with BONET for participating in the exchange program devised by MISSAT, DST, New Delhi.
Student Festivals
The Institute plays host to several student festivals like the Rangotsav, Sportsaga, Vortex, Manzar etc. Rangotsav is a Conference on Advances in Polymer and Coating, Technical Festival of Polymer and Surface Coating Technology Department. On the other hand, Sportsaga is the annual sports festival of the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai. The 2013 edition featured over 20 events including the All Mumbai ICT Marathon and a closely contested athletics meet. The level of competition included not only the State’s top athletes but every type of sporting enthusiast, through both mainstream sporting events and informal events.
Manzar is the cultural festival of the Institute of Chemical technology. Every year, Manzar proudly hosts a variety of events in music, dance, literary arts and fine arts. The Dance and Fashion Show events are the most popular, with active participation of students from all over the city. Many famous artists have performed on the Manzar stage, including Shaan, Kailash Kher, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Shalmali Kholgade, Sachin-Jigar, Niladri Kumar, Arijit Singh and Armaan Malik.
Admissions
Courses
Currently, ICT offers three degrees at undergraduate level: B. Tech. (Bachelor of Technology), B. Chem.Eng. (Bachelor of Chemical Engineering) and B. Pharm. (Bachelor of Pharmacy). However, the institute offers several courses at the Masters level which specialize in Chemical Technology, Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy. Additionally, Ph.D. from ICT is a highly sought-after program and is unarguably among the best ones in the country. The M.Sc. Programme from ICT boasts of accreditation from the Royal Society of Chemistry, making it the second among the only two Institutes in India to have received this accreditation.
The Department of Textiles is still known to offer the most prestigious degree in the field of textiles in India.
ICT has specialization and runs several courses in the following ares:
- Technology of Fibres and Textiles Processing
- Technology of Dyes and Intermediates
- Technology of Pharmaceuticals and Fine Chemicals
- Food Engineering and Technology
- Paints Technology
- Polymer Technology
- Technology of Oils and Surfactants
- Fibers and Textiles Processing Technology
- Surface Coating Technology
- Perfumery and Flavour Technology
- Bioprocess Technology (with special emphasis on Downstream Processing)
- Food Biotechnology
- Drug Delivery Technology
- Medicinal Chemistry
- Medicinal Natural Products
ICT has a very strong and celebrated research culture. The first ever Ph.D. of India in engineering was awarded by the ICT in 1941. ICT has strong relationships with the industries, and many Government as well as industry sponsored projects continuously keep taking shape in ICT. In 2011, the Ministry of Textiles sanctioned ICT as National Centre of Excellence in Sportswear with a grant of ₨ 24.5 crore for researching sports-related apparel and goods. With this, ICT has become the first Institute in India to conduct research on sports fabrics.
Notable Alumni
The Institute has produced several notable alumni. Additionally, many civilian honors and awards including 3 Padma Shri, 8 Padma Bhushan and 8 Padma Vibhushan awards have been bestowed upon various notable alumni from the ICT. Only two Indian engineers, namely Raghunath Mashelkar and Man Mohan Sharma, have been bestowed with the fellowship of the Royal Society so far, both of whom are the alumni of ICT. Other notable alumni include:
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- Man Mohan Sharma FRS
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- Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of the Reliance Industries
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- Anant Pai, Father of Indian Comics
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- Kallam Anji Reddy, Founder of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories
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- Keki Hormusji Gharda, Founder of Gharda Chemicals
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- Raghunath Anant Mashelkar FRS
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- Narotam Sekhsaria
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- H.N. Sethna, former Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission
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- Jyeshtharaj Joshi
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- Srinivas, noted South Indian Classical Singer
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- Ashwin Dani, Founder of Asian Paints
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- Madhukar Parekh, Co-founder of Pidilite Industries
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- Manubhai Shah, Politician, Member of the Lok Sabha, Former Union Cabinet Minister, Government of India
- Doraiswami Ramkrishna, Distinguished Professor at Purdue University
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