Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur (abbr. IIEST Shibpur or IIESTS) is a public technological research university located at Shibpur, Howrah, West Bengal, India. Founded in 1856, it is one of the Institutes of National Importance funded by the Ministry of Education of the Government of India. It is regulated by the Council of NITSER. It is the fourth oldest engineering institute in India. In October 2010, the Union Cabinet approved the proposal for the conversion of the Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU) at Shibpur to India's first Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST). IIEST is a member of the Association of Indian Universities. IIEST Shibpur was later included in the NIT Council.
History Directors Ajoy Kumar Ray, 2014–2018 Parthasarathi Chakrabarti, 2018–2024 Vemavarapu M. S. R. Murthy, 2024–present The university was founded as the Civil Engineering College on 24 November 1856, in the Writers' Building, Calcutta (now Kolkata). The college was established as an independent entity in 1880 as Government College, Howrah, on the premises of Bishop's College in Shibpur, Howrah. In 1921, the name of the college was changed to Bengal Engineering College. B.E. College was previously affiliated to the University of Calcutta. At that time, it contained only civil and mechanical engineering departments. Classes used to be held in the Writers' Building. Later, from 1865 to 1869, the college was affiliated to Presidency College, Calcutta. Historically, IIEST Shibpur pioneered engineering frameworks that heavily mentored the initial establishment of IIT Kharagpur. Several other departments were created subsequently over the years, the last among them being that of Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mechanics in 2010.
Following an endorsement from a UGC Expert Committee, the Ministry of Human Resource Development designated the institution as a Deemed University in 1992, marking a significant milestone in its academic evolution.
Established in November 2003, the S.K. Joshi Committee was mandated by the Government of India to evaluate and shortlist premier engineering institutions for potential elevation to the status of an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). Ultimately, the committee identified seven candidate institutions for this strategic upgradation, most notably including the Bengal Engineering College.
On October 1, 2004, the institution was accorded the status of a comprehensive state university. It was formally inaugurated as Bengal Engineering and Science University by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the President of India, on 13 July 2005.
On 2009 Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has requested the Union Human Resource Development Minister, Arjun Singh, to reconsider the proposal to upgrade Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU) to a central university.
Post 2010 In October 2010, the Union Cabinet ratified the 2006 M. Anandakrishnan Committee’s proposal to transform the Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU), Shibpur, into India’s inaugural Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST). This strategic evolution was designed to establish an institution of international prestige, dedicated to cultivating elite human capital for the nation’s strategic sectors. Beyond technical training, the mandate envisioned the development of advanced research laboratories and the nurturing of distinguished educators to elevate the standards of engineering and science education nationwide. An amount of ₹ 592.20 crore was earmarked for the project, and it was to be completed over a period of five years.
In March 2014, the institute was conferred the status of an INI and was renamed Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur by the Govt. of India by suitably amending the National Institutes of Technology and Science Education and Research Act, 2007. It was governed by the NIT Council. The conversion process of BESU to IIEST was mentored by IIT Kanpur. The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, inaugurated it as IIEST on 24 August 2014.
In June 2014, the Government of West Bengal formally inaugurated the Indian Institute of Information Technology Kalyani. Concurrently, the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), Shibpur, was appointed as its mentor institution to provide foundational academic and administrative guidance during its establishment.
In December 2014, the institute's founding director Ajoy Kumar Ray, in a sorrowful tone, said, "We have the fund now, but land-space crunch is the biggest problem. We have 121 acres of land with us and we need 100 acres more. Otherwise, the institute's expansion would be pretty critical."
In 2017, Professor Ajoy Kumar Ray, the founding director of the IIEST Shibpur, was awarded the Padma Shri. This prestigious civilian honor recognized his significant contributions to the field of science and engineering.
In 2019, the government abandoned the plan to establish a separate category of IIEST institutes, and thus IIEST Shibpur was integrated into the NIT Council making it the first non-NIT member of the Council.
Recalibration The transition of IIEST Shibpur into an Institute of National Importance (INI) in 2014 was anchored by a bold "Research-Only" campus ambition. The vision was to depart from the traditional undergraduate model and emulate elite global research centers, where every student would be groomed for high-level innovation through a mandatory five-year integrated B.Tech-M.Tech program. However, this academic idealism soon triggered a significant policy flip-flop. While the conversion bill passed in Parliament originally intended for the institute to receive approximately ₹ 600 Cr in funding to support this transformation, the MHRD ultimately failed to provide the promised capital. This financial shortfall, combined with rigid academic frameworks, eventually collided with the practicalities of student mobility and industry preferences.
Under the subsequent leadership of Professor Parthasarathi Chakrabarti, the administration reconciled these lofty goals with the necessity of academic flexibility. By "restarting" the four-year B.Tech, the institute corrected its course, providing the modularity later championed by the National Education Policy 2020. Today, IIEST operates as a hybrid entity, honoring its research-centric roots while offering standardized pathways that empower students to choose between immediate professional entry or extended academic specialization.
The executive council of the Institute resolved to adopt the JEE Advanced for its dual-degree programs, seeking to attract premier research-oriented students. This strategy intended to place the institute alongside elite peers like IISc, IIST, RGIPT and IISERs. However, then the HRD Ministry declined the request, mandating the Shibpur campus to follow the JEE Main route. Director Ajoy Kumar Ray noted that because the ministry integrated IIEST into the NIT Council, the institute was required to settle for the broader admission framework, diverging from its original preference.
Current Status As of 2026, IIEST is commonly called the unofficial "32nd NIT" because of its equivalent status to NITs (in terms of funding and administration, as both are governed by the NIT Act) and its inclusion in the NIT Council. It is also subsequently tagged under the NIT category by both JoSAA and CSAB.
Campus A master plan proposed along with the existing campus layout was presented. Five new infrastructure projects were planned, and some are ongoing, including a 1000-seat girls' hostel, an academic block, a research and innovation park, and an auditorium and convention hall. The total estimated cost is ₹ 787 crore.
Salt Lake campus During the institute’s convocation in December 2024, the Governor formally announced the establishment of a secondary IIEST campus in Salt Lake, Sector III. Spanning 38.5 kattahs, this strategic expansion is designed to bridge the gap between theory and practice by fostering robust academia-industry collaborations. The facility will serve as a specialized hub for innovation, offering tailored part-time programs and professional development courses curated specifically for working professionals. By situating this annex in a prominent commercial district, the institute aims to cultivate a dynamic ecosystem where academic research and industrial application converge to drive regional technological advancement.
Organisation and administration
Governance Like all NITs, the institute follows an organizational structure where the President of India is the ex officio visitor of IIEST Shibpur, at the top of the hierarchy. Directly under the president is the Council of NITSER. Under the Council of NITSER is the Board of Governors of IIEST, Shibpur. The Board of Governors consists of the chairperson, director, and twelve members, which include government, industry, alumni, and faculty representation. The Senate Standing Committee comprises the director, the Secretary to the Senate, deans, department heads, and the registrar. In September 2023, Tejaswini Ananth Kumar was appointed as chairperson of the Board of Governors of the Institution for a period of three years.
The Board of Governors is the apex body, responsible for setting the strategic direction and overseeing the institute's overall performance. This board comprises individuals from academia, industry, and government. Complementing the Board of Governors is the Academic Council, which focuses on academic policies, curriculum development, and the maintenance of educational standards. The council ensures that the institute's programs remain relevant and aligned with the latest advancements in technology and science. Financial management is handled by the Finance Committee, which oversees budgeting, resource allocation, and financial planning.
Departments
Departments of IIEST, Shibpur Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mechanics Architecture and Planning Chemistry Civil EngineeringComputer Science and Technology Earth Sciences Electrical Engineering Electronics and Telecommunication EngineeringHuman Resource Management Humanities and Social Sciences Information Technology MathematicsMechanical Engineering Metallurgy and Materials Engineering Mining Engineering Physics
Schools Eight 'schools of excellence' in IIEST are:
Schools of IIEST, Shibpur School of Advanced Materials, Green Energy and Sensor Systems Purabi Das School of Information Technology School of Community Science and Technology School of Disaster Mitigation Engineering School of Ecology, Infrastructure and Human Settlement Management School of Management Sciences School of Mechatronics and Robotics School of VLSI Technology
Centres Following are the multi-disciplinary centers located in IIEST Shibpur: Center of Healthcare Science and Technology Chirasree Centre of Sustainable Infrastructure Development Arun and Dhriti Deb Centre of Water and Environmental Studies
Academics
Ramanujan Central Library The institute's Ramanujan Central Library occupies and houses 158,000 books, 41,000 bound volumes of journals, and a collection of documents, such as patents, standards, technical reports, and pamphlets. The library has old and rare books and journals of the nineteenth century. As a member of the e-ShodhSindhu consortium, the library provides access to over 6,500 full-text e-journals. This includes major databases such as IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect (Elsevier), and Scopus.
Admission procedure