Formed in 1933 as the Department of Chemistry and Technology of the University of Bombay (now Mumbai), the Institute of Chemical Technology achieved autonomy from the big city giant in 1994 and took its current name at the same time as attaining university status in 2008.
Based on a 16-acre campus in the district of Maturya, it also has sites at Jalna, Marothwada and, since 2018, Bhubaneswar. Offering courses in chemical engineering, chemical technology and pharmacy, its motto tells students that "your right is to selflessly perform the work".
Numerous laurels include being one of the few Indian universities with master's courses accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry and an A++ rating conferred in 2017 by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council. In the 2018 National Institutional Ratings Framework it was ranked fourth for pharmacy, 10th for engineering, 19th among universities and 30th overall.
It reckons to produce around 10 per cent of India’s 1,000 chemistry PhDs each year and has a longstanding research tradition – a survey from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2012 rated it fourth in the world in chemistry research and suggested that that status dated back to the 1970s.
Departments include the Institute of Dyestuffs Technology, dating back to 1944 and joint host with the Dyestuffs Manufacturers Association of India of biennial "Conventions of Coloration" conferences.
Recent research findings by researchers at the university include a chemical agent which will aid the biodegradation of plastics and a gelatine-based tissue which heals deep wounds and cuts quicker and faster than the collagen-based products currently in use. Current projects include the Centre for Excellence in Cellular Agriculture, due to open in 2020 and devoted to the creation of potentially revolutionary plant and cell-derived meat.
