Institute of Chemical Technology

Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) is a public deemed university in Mumbai, India. It is focused on training and research in the fields of chemical engineering, chemical technology, and pharmaceutical sciences.

Established in 1933, the institute was granted deemed university status in 2008, making it the only state-funded deemed university in India. In 2018, ICT was named an institute with a special status per the Empowered Expert Committee and was given the status of Category 1 institute with graded autonomy by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the University Grants Commission (India).

The institute also has regional campuses at Bhubaneswar, Odisha and Jalna, Maharashtra.

In 1921, the Sir M. Visvesvaraya Committee recommended an institution of the Faculty of Technology at University of Mumbai and a college of technology in Bombay. In 1930, Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi's motion in the Academic Council for the institution of a Department of Chemical Technology was accepted. In 1932, Schemes for two-year post-B.Sc. courses in Textile Chemistry and in Chemical Engineering leading to a B.Sc. (Tech) degree and the subsequent M.Sc. (Tech) and Ph.D. (Tech) degrees by research were approved.

The ICT was founded on 1 October 1933, as University Department of Chemical and Technology (UDCT) of the University of Mumbai by then vice chancellor Sir Vitthal N. Chandavarkar. Since he was also the Chairman of Mill Owners' Association, Chandavarkar was keen on catering to the needs of Mumbai's bustling textile industry. The institute offered admissions to 15 students in 2 two-year post-B.Sc. degree courses, B.Sc. (Tech) in Textile Chemistry and B.Sc. (Tech) in Chemical Engineering. These courses were started in the then Royal Institute of Science, Fort, Mumbai (now renamed as The Institute of Science, Mumbai), since the department's own building had not begun construction. Robert B. Forster of the University of Leeds became a Professor of Chemical Technology and the first Head of the Department on 26 October 1933. Krishnasami Venkataraman became the first Indian director of the institute on 8 November 1938. The first Ph.D. (Tech) and Ph.D. (Sci) degrees were awarded by the department in 1940 and 1941, respectively. The foundation stone for the department's own building was laid in Matunga, Mumbai on 17 March 1941.

The current campus in Matunga was occupied in June 1943. In 1944, other specializations: Pharmaceuticals and Fine Chemicals; Chemistry of Food and Drugs; Technology of Intermediates and Dyes; Technology of Oils, Fats and Waxes; and Technology of Plastics, Paints and Varnishes were added to the B. Sc. (Tech) course. In 1948, B.Sc. (Tech) (Technology of Plastics) and B.Sc. (Tech.) (Technology of Paints, Pigments, and Varnishes) replaced the B.Sc. (Tech) (Technology of Plastics, Paints and Varnishes). In 1949, the B.Sc. (Tech) course in the Chemistry of Foods and Drugs re-designated as Technology of Foods. In 1951, the four-year Post-lnterscience course, B.Chem.Engg. course replaced the earlier B.Sc. (Tech) course in Chemical Engineering and the intake was increased from 15 to 20. In 1958, the number of seats for the B.Chem.Enng course were further increased to 60. The Departments of Chemistry and General Engineering were started in 1952. The first female student was awarded a Ph.D. (Tech) in 1957. A three-year Bachelors of Pharmacy (B.Pharm) course was launched in 1958, becoming the first course of its kind in the state of Maharashtra. In 1960, ICT celebrated its Silver Jubilee, and the occasion was graced by then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. In 1984, a four-year B.Pharm course replaced the earlier three-year course. In 2001, four year B.Tech courses replaced all B.Sc. (Tech) courses.

The university received partial autonomy from University of Mumbai in 1985 and was conferred the autonomous status on the UDCT in 1994, with concurrence from the Maharashtra State Government and the UGC. UDCT was renamed as the Mumbai University Institute of Chemical Technology (Autonomous) (MUICT) on 26 January 2002. In June 2004, in accordance with the Technical Education Quality Improvement Program (TEQIP) of the Government of India, under which the institute was selected as a Lead Institution, the Government of Maharashtra granted complete autonomy to the institute. On 12 September 2008, it was granted the deemed university status and renamed as the Institute of Chemical Technology. In 2008, the DBT-ICT Centre for Energy Biosciences was also inaugurated with support from the Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India.

Institute of Chemical Technology was the first institute to be granted the elite badge by the government of the state of Maharashtra. This along with the centre of excellence status put the institute on a par with other reputable schools such as the Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian Institute of Science and the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research. It also makes the institute, eligible for various special grants from the union and the state governments. In November 2019, Aniruddha B. Pandit, a senior professor and a dean at the institute took charge of the post of Vice Chancellor, succeeding long time director Ganpati D. Yadav. In July 2024, Jyeshtharaj Bhalchandra Joshi was appointed as the Chancellor of the institute, succeeding Raghunath Anant Mashelkar, who held the position for two decades.