IIT Bombay strives to reach out beyond its student community to the larger society that exists beyond its walls. This reflects the institute'€™s inherent philosophy to teach what we know and share what we have, for mutual benefit. As such, the institute engages in several activities to reach out to the academic communities at national and international levels. In this regard, its major activities are the following.

Continuing Education and Quality Improvement Programme

Under the Quality Improvement Programme (QIP), training is imparted to teachers from other institutions to facilitate them in obtaining their Master’s and Ph.D degrees. About 20 teachers take the benefit of this service every year. Short, intensive courses are conducted under the Continuing Education Programme (CEP) for the enhancement of expertise of working professionals in industry and government. `Open' courses cater to a wide variety of professional interests, and are open to professionals from any industry. `In-house' courses are conducted for providing specific, customised training and for extended learning, to meet the needs of a particular group from an industry. It has been awarded the Golden Peacock National Training Award for excellence in training. For more details regarding the norms for application for PG level courses for working professionals, please visit: http://www.iitb.ac.in/cep

Centre for Distance Engineering Education Programme

The Distance Engineering Education Programme (CDEEP) aims to provide high quality distance education in engineering and science to a large number of participants throughout the country and abroad. The expertise of IIT Bombay’s faculty is freely available for students and working professionals everywhere, as the courses offered through distance education are the same ones taken by IITB students. To provide quality engineering course materials to the maximum number of learners, CDEEP uses different mediums and varied technologies, like uploading web-based courses, taking video recordings of classroom lectures, and transmitting these courses through satellite with live interactions. Live courses are transmitted through EDUSAT, an ISRO satellite dedicated solely to the education sector. These courses are quite popular. As many as 57 colleges and technical institutions have registered under the programme and are recipients of the courseware.

Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas

The Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas (CTARA) in the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay was established in 1985 to respond to the marginalized and disadvantaged sections of society and neglected regions in the country. In the last two decades, our country has witnessed significant and rapid changes in several spheres and at an increasingly rapid speed. The economic reforms and the policies of liberalization, globalization, and privatization have resulted in momentous changes in perspectives,policies, and practices pertaining to technology, development, and the interrelationship between the two. The Centre is gearing itself to face the challenges posed by these changes, through research projects as well as new academic and training programs.