The history of the IIT system dates back to 1946 when a committee was set up by Hon'ble Sir Jogendra Singh, Member of the Viceroy's Executive Council, Department of Education, Health and Agriculture to consider the setting up of Higher Technical Institutions for post war industrial development in India. The 22 member committee headed by Sri N.R.Sarkar, in its report, recommended the establishment of four Higher Technical Institutions in the Eastern, Western, Northern and Southern regions, possibly on the lines of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, with a number of secondary institutions affiliated to it. The report also urged the speedy establishment of all the four institutions with the ones in the East and the West to be started immediately. The committee also felt that such institutes would not only produce undergraduates but they should be engaged in research, producing research workers and technical teachers as well. The standard of the graduates should be at par with those from first class institutions abroad.
With the above recommendations of the Sarkar committee in view, the first Indian Institute of Technology was born in May 1950 in Hijli, Kharagpur, in the eastern part of India.
Today we have seven IITs at :-

The IIT system has massive role in distributing the education in general and higher technical education in particular. The IIT system offers enormous impact to this world particularly in the areas of frontline research and development.

Microsoft founder chairman Mr. William Henry Gates once said in his speech- "IIT has certainly taken on a grand vision. Even as an incredibly world-class institution, it keeps challenging itself to renew itself to move to the forefront. And it's hard to think of anything like IIT anywhere in the world. It is a very unique institution". Mr. Gate is a great admirer of IITs.

And to fulfill its vision the IIT system offers entrance examination at both school and college level and select best brains to train who later can make tangible contributions to the society.

Today the corporate sector both in India and abroad shows deep interest in recruiting manpower from these institutions and many big industry giants even collaborate in providing certain kind of training programs. The universities and institutes across the globe show good interest in having academic collaboration with IITs.