MUMBAI, June 27 -- The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay is set to open its first sub-campus in the United States by 2027 in partnership with the State University of New York at Old Westbury (SUNY Old Westbury) at its Long Island campus. A letter of intent was signed by IIT Bombay director Prof Shireesh Kedare and SUNY Old Westbury president Dr Timothy E Sams in the presence of consul general Binaya S Pradhan, who connected the two institutions. Work will now begin on creating new academic programmes in science and engineering focused on emerging fields such as artificial intelligence. Kedare, in a virtual press conference, said that IIT Bombay would initially offer certificate courses at the US campus and long-term academic programmes later. The first courses will focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI), sustainability and clean technology. IIT also plans to set up research laboratories on the campus. The IIT-B director pointed out the benefits for both universities in the partnership, including the SUNY Old Westbury campus, which had made it easier for IIT-B to open a new sub-campus. "SUNY Old Westbury does not have an engineering department at present, making the collaboration beneficial for both sides," he said. "IIT Bombay also has a strong alumni network in the United States, which is expected to support the new campus." SUNY Old Westbury President Sams said, "We are excited to establish a direct partnership that advances teaching, innovation and excellence in disciplines like physics and engineering with the goal of creating a robust IIT Bombay presence on our campus so that together we can prepare the next generation of leaders." Among the IITs, IIT Madras has already opened an international campus in Zanzibar, while IIT Delhi has a campus in Abu Dhabi. Early areas of cooperation are expected to include visits by and exchange of faculty members and researchers between the institutions, joint research activities, and the development of joint conferences or symposia. These early-stage efforts will be conducted while the development of new degree programmes takes shape. Welcoming the partnership as a "living corridor of knowledge between India and the USA", union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan noted that IIT-B's partnership with SUNY Old Westbury would create "win-win opportunities" for both India and USA besides helping to develop cutting-edge technologies in frontier science....