Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), formerly the University Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT), is a chemical technology research university located in Mumbai, India. It is focused on training and research in various branches of chemical engineering, chemical technology, and pharmacy. It was granted deemed university status in 2008, making it the only state-funded deemed university in India.
The ICT was founded in 1933 as a University Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT) of the University of Mumbai. Robert Forster was first Head of the Department (1933–38), followed by K. Venkataraman, who continued its development. It was considerably improved under the guidance of Man Mohan Sharma. The university 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.
Institute of Chemical Technology was the first institute to be granted the elite badge by the government of the state of Maharashtra. This 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, which has plans to set up a satellite campus, eligible for various special grants from the union and the state governments.
