IIT Palakkad has been named a Finalist for the Autodesk Design & Make Award 2026 - AEC Innovator of the Year, to be recognised at Autodesk University 2026 in Las Vegas during the AU2026 event

Wed, 9th Sep, 2026 - 06:30 pm

The recognition is for the "Campus as a Classroom" initiative, conceived and led by Prof. V. Senthilkumar, Dean (Infrastructure) & Associate Professor in Civil Engineering, which turns the institute's own greenfield campus construction into a live teaching lab. Using Autodesk's design and collaboration tools, students and public-sector professionals work together on active infrastructure projects, applying digital workflows to real construction rather than simulations.

This initiative led to an MoU with Autodesk and, subsequently, an MoU with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) to upskill public-sector professionals over the next five years under a Hub-and-Spoke model. Autodesk has recognised the Centre for Digital Construction and Management (CDCM) lab as the Centre of Excellence in AEC, and MoHUA has recognised IITPKD's CDCM lab as the National Centre of Excellence for Training in BIM and Digital Transformation.

Highlights of the impact so far:

  • More than 70% of participating students improved their design efficiency
  • More than 80% of trained professionals transitioned from conventional to Digital BIM workflows
  • Over 200 students and professionals upskilled

The model positions IIT Palakkad as an example of bringing academia, public sector agency, and industry together for sustainable, future-ready technical education.