IIT Madras Launches UDYOG Biotech Finishing School

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) launched UDYOG, or Upskilling and Development for Young Graduates, in Chennai on 21 October 2026. The industry-oriented finishing school is designed to train graduates for biotechnology and biomanufacturing roles. Its first batch is scheduled to begin on 18 January 2027.

UDYOG Programme Structure

UDYOG combines online instruction, practical laboratory training and opportunities for industry internships. The training pathway has three stages:

• Participants complete three months of online learning through IIT Madras’s Centre for Outreach and Digital Education (CODE).
• They then undertake four weeks of intensive hands-on training at the IIT Madras Biofoundry, with pilot-scale exposure included in the programme.
• The programme provides opportunities for industry internships after the training stages.

The programme is open to pre-final-year and final-year students pursuing B.Tech., M.Tech. and M.Sc. degrees in biotechnology and allied disciplines at colleges and institutes across India. Early-bird registration closes on 15 December 2026. V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, inaugurated the programme, and Professor Guhan Jayaraman of the Department of Biotechnology is its principal coordinator.

Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing

Biotechnology applies biological systems, organisms or their components to develop products and processes. Biomanufacturing uses cells, enzymes or other biological systems to produce goods such as medicines, vaccines, industrial enzymes and bio-based materials. These fields draw on disciplines including molecular biology, genetics, microbiology and biochemical engineering.

Laboratory training and pilot-scale work expose learners to processes used to develop and scale biological products. A finishing school is a training programme that builds practical and professional competencies alongside formal academic qualifications.

IIT Madras Biofoundry

UDYOG is an initiative of the IITM-Biofoundry Finishing School and is being launched through SynBioME, the IIT Madras-TICEL Biofoundry. The facility focuses on biotechnology research, innovation, biomanufacturing and skill development. IIT Madras is one of India’s Institutes of Technology, established in 1959.

Important Facts for Exams

• UDYOG stands for Upskilling and Development for Young Graduates.
• The online learning stage is delivered through the Centre for Outreach and Digital Education.
• The programme’s practical training takes place at the IIT Madras Biofoundry.
• The programme is open to eligible students from institutions across India.

The first UDYOG batch is scheduled to commence on 18 January 2027. The programme’s early-bird registration deadline is 15 December 2026.