Department of ECE, IISc

What Department of ECE, IISc does

The Department of Electrical Communication Engineering (ECE) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is a constituent academic department of the IISc deemed university, established in 1947 and headquartered in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. It conducts theoretical and experimental research across communications, signal processing, microelectronics, RF circuits and electromagnetics, integrated optics and photonics, and networks and optimization. The department delivers graduate education through seven academic programs: M.Tech (ECE), M.Tech (Signal Processing), M.Tech (Microelectronics and VLSI Design), M.Tech (Artificial Intelligence), M.Tech (Online), M.Tech (Research), and Ph.D. Notable research infrastructure includes a standards-compliant open-source 5G cellular testbed, the Centre for Networked Intelligence, and a Laboratory for Image and Video Engineering.

Technically, the department has produced advanced research outputs spanning OTFS 2.0 (Zak-OTFS) waveform design for 6G communications, sparse signal recovery algorithms, distributed optimization under information constraints, DNA-based and quantum error-correcting codes, city-scale agent-based epidemic simulators (used for COVID-19 response), respiratory sound-based COVID-19 screening (COSWARA), and water distribution optimization (WaterOpt). It hosts the biennial IEEE International Conference on Signal Processing and Communications (SPCOM), annual JTG/IEEE Information Theory Society Summer Schools, and regular webinars featuring international speakers. Faculty credentials include IEEE Fellows, INAE Fellows, and recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award, J.C. Bose Fellowship, and DST Swarnajayanti Fellowship.

The department is a non-commercial public academic unit funded by the Government of India (Ministry of Education) and competitive research grants from agencies such as DST, NSF, Cisco CSR, and Google. No tuition is charged to eligible students; financial support is provided through government fellowships. Industry engagement occurs via conference sponsorship and research collaborations with Qualcomm, Samsung Research Bangalore, Texas Instruments, Amazon Alexa, Rakuten, Tejas Networks, and others, plus an Industrial Advisory Board. The customer base consists of prospective graduate students, faculty research collaborators, industry R&D partners, and the broader academic community; revenue mechanics are grant and budget allocation based, not commercial.

Name

Department of ECE, IISc

Legal name

Department of Electrical Communication Engineering, Indian Institute of Science

Website

https://ece.iisc.ac.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Department of Electrical Communication Engineering at IISc, Bangalore, is a 1947-founded academic department offering M.Tech and Ph.D. programs while conducting theoretical and experimental research in communications, signal processing, microelectronics, RF/photonics, and AI/ML for graduate students, industry R&D partners, and the global academic community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Higher Education and Research

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715), Computer Training (61142)

SIC

Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Online Technology & Computer Science Universities (EDAHALAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Microwave & RF Signal Chain ICs (Mixers/Detectors/Attenuators) (HDAHAMAL), Telecommunications & Networking (EDAAAPAF)

Keywords

• Academic research programs
• Graduate engineering education
• 5G communications research
• Signal processing research
• Microelectronics and photonics

Headquarters

HQ city

Bangalore

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Department of Electrical Communication Engineering at IISc offers graduate academic programs (M.Tech in ECE, Signal Processing, Microelectronics & VLSI, AI, and Online, plus Ph.D. programs) and conducts advanced research in communications, signal processing and machine learning, networks and optimization, nanoelectronics and VLSI, RF circuits and electromagnetics, and integrated optics and photonics. It operates research infrastructure including a standards-compliant open-source 5G testbed and the Centre for Networked Intelligence, and produces open-source research software such as COSWARA, city-scale epidemic simulators, Campus Rakshak, and WaterOpt. The department also hosts the biennial IEEE SPCOM conference, JTG summer schools, and ECE webinars.

Product overview

The Department of ECE at IISc is a premier academic department offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational programs and research outputs. Its product portfolio comprises: (1) Academic degree programs including M.Tech (ECE), M.Tech (Signal Processing), M.Tech (Microelectronics & VLSI), M.Tech (AI), M.Tech (Online), M.Tech (Research), and Ph.D programs across six core research areas; (2) The biennial SPCOM conference for signal processing and communications research dissemination; (3) Research infrastructure including a 5G testbed and Centre for Networked Intelligence (CNI); and (4) Open-source research software tools including epidemic simulators (COSWARA, Campus Rakshak), water distribution optimization (WaterOpt), and COVID-19 response platforms. The department's research spans communications, signal processing, networks, nanoelectronics, RF/electromagnetics, and photonics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• M.Tech (ECE) Program Master of Technology program in Electrical Communication Engineering covering core areas of communications, signal processing, and electronics, leading to an M.Tech degree for graduate students.
• M.Tech (Signal Processing) Program Specialized M.Tech program focused on signal processing techniques and their applications in communications and data analysis.
• M.Tech (Microelectronics & VLSI Design) Program M.Tech program in microelectronics and VLSI design offered through the Department of Electronic Systems Engineering (DESE) in collaboration with ECE.
• M.Tech (Artificial Intelligence) Program Inter-departmental M.Tech AI program covering machine learning, deep learning, and AI applications across domains.
• M.Tech (Online) Program Online M.Tech program enabling remote learning for working professionals seeking advanced education in ECE.
• M.Tech (Research) Program Research-oriented M.Tech program with focus on original research contributions in ECE domains.
• Ph.D. Programs Doctoral research programs across all ECE research areas including communications, signal processing, networks, nanoelectronics, RF/EM, and photonics.
• SPCOM Conference Biennial IEEE International Conference on Signal Processing and Communications, a premier academic conference held at IISc since 1990, attracting researchers from academia and industry worldwide.
• 5G Testbed at IISc Standards-compliant open-source protocol stack 5G cellular communications testbed at IISc for research, testing, and evaluation of practical cellular communication systems.
• Centre for Networked Intelligence (CNI) Research center focusing on networked intelligence, IoT, epidemic modeling, and data-driven decision frameworks for public health responses.
• JTG/IEEE IT Society Summer School Annual Joint Telematics Group / IEEE Information Theory Society Summer School on Signal Processing, Communications and Networks for students and young researchers, co-sponsored with IEEE Information Theory Society.
• COSWARA Web application enabling COVID-19 screening by analyzing respiratory sound samples and health symptoms using AI/ML techniques.
• City-scale Epidemic Simulators Agent-based city-scale epidemic simulation platforms for studying COVID-19 spread and intervention effects, developed at IISc through the Centre for Networked Intelligence.
• Campus Rakshak Simulator Campus epidemic simulator for monitoring and managing disease spread within campus environments.
• WaterOpt Software framework for optimization of water distribution in cities, supporting equitable water supply network monitoring and control.

Quantifiable outcome

• 366 research paper submissions received for SPCOM 2022 conference
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability15 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IEEE Information Theory SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023IEEE Information Theory Society co-sponsored the JTG/IEEE IT Society Summer School 2023, bringing together researchers and students for education in information theory.
• Communications, Networking and Analytics (CNI) CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022CNI is a research center within IISc that collaborates with the ECE department on communications and networking research. Hosted summer schools and joint research activities.
• Cisco CSR - Centre for Networked IntelligencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Cisco CSR funded the Centre for Networked Intelligence at IISc, supporting research on epidemic modeling, data analytics, and COVID-19 response tools. Joint development of city-scale epidemic simulators and workplace readiness tools.
• National Health Mission (NHM)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020NHM supported COVID-19 response research through the Centre for Networked Intelligence for data-driven public health decision frameworks.
• Biocon FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Biocon Foundation collaborated on white-light imaging and oral cancer screening research.
• ArtparkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Artpark collaborated with the Centre for Networked Intelligence on infectious disease modeling and environmental surveillance projects.
• Kotak-IISc AI ML CentreminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Kotak-IISc AI ML Centre supported white-light imaging and oral cancer screening research.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT: Global benchmark for ECE research; competing with IISc ECE for top international graduate applicants, faculty hires, and prestige benchmarks.
• Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, UC Berkeley: Top-tier U.S. peer with parallel strengths in signal processing, communications, RF/photonic devices, and AI/ML research at graduate level.
• Stanford Department of Electrical Engineering: World-leading ECE department with comparable research breadth across communications, signal processing, and photonics; sets the global standard IISc ECE benchmarks against.
• Carnegie Mellon University Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Global peer ECE department with overlapping strengths in signal processing, communications, and AI; competes for international research visibility and top graduate students.

Direct peers

• Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Delhi: Another leading Indian EE department with strong research in communications, signal processing, and VLSI, and similar faculty awards and industry engagement.
• Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Kanpur: Domestic peer ECE department with overlapping research in communications and signal processing, similar student recruitment pool, and shared industry sponsorship base.
• Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Bombay: Premier Indian peer university EE/ECE department with comparable research strengths in communications, signal processing, VLSI, and RF, and similar IIT-system faculty credentials and industry sponsorships.
• Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Kharagpur: Long-established Indian EE department with comparable research areas, similar faculty training pedigree, and competition for industry-sponsored projects.
• Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras: Closest domestic peer in scope of ECE research, faculty pedigree, and graduate output; competing for the same faculty hires, graduate applicants, and industry partnerships in India.

Regional players

• ETH Zurich Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering: European peer ECE department with comparable research in communications, signal processing, and photonics; serves as a benchmark for international research quality outside the U.S./India orbit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ecedeptiisc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCHhb2CTsxj1TYI1AJ8Mcmyw
• Facebookfacebook.com/ECE.Dept.IISc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/department-of-ece-iisc
• Instagraminstagram.com/ecedeptiisc/?utm_source=qr&igshid=ZDc4ODBmNjlmNQ==

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Department of ECE, IISc