R & D Initiative of IEI
Indian Engineering Congress
The Indian Engineering Congress, organized annually on a theme divided into various sub-themes, is the annual flagship event of The Institution of Engineers (India). The Congress is a mega technical event organised with a view to enlighten the technical fraternity about the trends and developments in various engineering fields and thereby enabling them to face the future challenges and assist in nation-building.
Technical Volume
National Conventions
The National Convention is the apex technical activity of an Engineering Division, which is organized annually by the respective Division Board and held on a theme divided into various sub-themes, and hosted by one of the state and local centres of IEI spread all over the country.
IEI Convocation and Technicians’ / Students’ Convention
The IEI Convocation is held once a year aiming at achievement of technical and professional growth through technical content and mutual interaction amongst the Students / Technicians. The Convocation shall seek to achieve maximum involvement and participation of Students / Technicians. This is the activity, which also aims at establishing liaison between the Institution, its Students / Technicians and the policy makers. The event is primarily meant for Senior Technician / Technicians members of the Institution as well as for students members attached to Engineering Colleges / Polytechnics. It would be encouraging, if Council Members can also participate in this event. Their gracious presence will definitely provide a fillip to budding engineers to have close interaction with seniors in the profession and receive proper guidance for their career enrichment.
Seminars & Workshops
The Institution of Engineers (India) organises a number of Seminars and Workshops as sponsored technical activities, under the aegis of the respective Engineering Division. These Seminars and Workshops are held on various relevant topics related to engineering and hosted by different state and local centres of IEI spread all over the country.
Technical Webinar
The Institution of Engineers (India) is committed towards dissemination of ideas, information and knowledge in the frontier areas of science, engineering and technology through hosting of various technical activities at its various Centres and Fora.
To ensure that such ventures continue to run in a smooth, flexible and ubiquitous manner during this global pandemic time and beyond, the Institution has introduced cloud based event hosting under the nomenclature ‘Centenary Technical Webinar’ powered by National Skill Development Forum of IEI, Shimla. These webinars mark a paradigm shift in the approach of the Institution towards rendering more effective services to its members involving latest digital technologies in the new century.
Statutory Days
The Institution organises, some of the special technical events, to be celebrated on a central theme, as identified by United Nations and other agencies like ITU, BIS and others. These days are known as the statutory days and are observed by all state and local centres and overseas chapters of IEI.
NATIONAL MARITIME DAY
National Maritime Day is observed as a Statutory Day by IEI on 5th April every year to commemorate the maiden voyage of the first Indian owned commercial vessel SS Loyalty that set sail from Bombay (Mumbai) to London, on 05 April 1919. National Maritime Day commemorates our nation’s entry into the international mercantile shipping community in 1919.
WORLD ENGINEERING DAY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has proclaimed 4th March as World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development. Engineering is essential for economic advancement and restoration of natural resources. The World Engineering Day provides an opportunity for dialogue between engineers, decision makers, industry leaders, scientists, NGOs and the public at large to address the World’s most pressing issues and opens an avenue for presenting the recent achievements of engineers and how engineering and technology are central to modern life and sustainable development.
WORLD WATER DAY
The theme and write-up for the World Water Day which is observed on March 22 every year, are given by United Nations. CATE approved the change in nomenclature from Water Resources Day to World Water Day effective from year 2012 and the same is circulated to all Centres of IEI for observance of the day.
WORLD TELECOMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION SOCIETY DAY
The theme for the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is obtained from International Telecommunication Union, Geneva, Switzerland and is circulated to all Centres for the observance of the day on May 17 every year.
WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY
The theme for the World Environment Day is obtained from the HQrs of UNEP and is circulated to all Centres for the observance of the day on June 5 every year.
ROYAL CHARTER DAY
Established in 1920, with its headquarters at 8 Gokhale Road, Kolkata-700020, The Institution of Engineers (India) was incorporated by Royal Charter on September 09, 1935 and remains the only professional body in India to be accorded this honour.
September 09 of every year, is observed as Royal Charter Day by all Centres of IEI. On this auspicious day, Royal Charter of Incorporation was granted to IEI by His Majesty, The King and Emperor George V at the Court at Buckingham Palace, London.
ENGINEERS’ DAY
The Engineers’ Day is celebrated by all Centres of IEI on the September 15 of every year to commemorate the birthday of Bharat Ratna Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya. The Central Theme of National importance for the day is chosen by the Council of the Institution for celebration by the Centres through Lecture/s, Round Table/s Workshop/s, Seminar/s. The theme and write up on the same is prepared by the HQrs and send to all Centres of IEI before the end of June each year.
WORLD HABITAT DAY
On First Monday of October every year, this day is observed by all Centres of IEI. The theme for the World Habitat Day is obtained from UN-Habitat and circulated to all Centres for the observance of the Day.
WORLD STANDARDS DAY
On October 14 of each year, this day is observed throughout the country by IEI Centres. The BIS, Delhi provides the theme to the HQrs, which is communicated to all Centres by the Secretariat.
ENERGY CONSERVATION DAY
On December 14 of every year, this day is observed by all Centres of IEI as part of national observance of Energy Conservation week observed at various States of India starting from December 14.
Prizes and Awards
To mark the special occasion of the Golden Jubilee of the Institution held in February 1970, the Hindustan Steel Limited (now Steel Authority of India Limited), Ranchi, donated two gold medals, known as the 'Dr M Visvesvaraya Memorial Gold Medal' and the 'Hindustan Steel Gold Medal', to the Institution of Engineers (India) on a permanent basis. After the merger of the Hindustan Steel Limited with the Steel Authority of India Limited, the above awards are now being called 'SAIL Awards'. These gold medals are being donated by the Steel Authority of India Limited. Each of these gold medals is awarded during the Indian Engineering Congress held annually for the best paper invited and received by the Institution on subjects announced each year through the Institution publications. Though the subjects broadly pertain to the Iron and Steel Industry, the exact scope of the subjects would be decided jointly by the representatives of the Steel Authority of India Limited and the Institution from year to year.
With a view to promote the pursuit of excellence in the field of engineering, IEI has instituted ‘IEI Young Engineers Award’. The Award consists of a Plaque and a Certificate. The purpose of the Award is to recognize outstanding achievements/contributions made by young engineers in engineering research, excellence in engineering technology development, technology transfer, etc. Any engineer citizen of India not older than 35 years of age/ women engineer citizen not older than 37 years of age as on March 31, 2025 is eligible for the Award, provided that he/she is a Corporate Member of IEI or has applied for IEI Membership. The IEI Young Engineers Award is presented to awardees for all the 15 Engineering Divisions of the IEI during the respective National Conventions.
Awards are given to the meritorious students of Sections A and B who secures Highest/Second Highest/Third Highest marks in the Institution examinations according to the table as given below. The awards are distributed at the annual convocation of IEI for Summer as well as Winter examinations.
| Name of the Award | Applicable Category | Eligibility Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| Institution Prize | Section A (Non-diploma) | Candidates securing Highest and Second Highest marks |
| Institution Prize | Section A (Diploma) | Candidates securing Highest and Second Highest marks |
| Institution Prize | Section B | Candidates securing Highest marks (Branch wise) |
| Suman Sharma Award | Section A (Non-diploma) | Women candidates securing Highest, Second Highest & Third Highest marks |
| Suman Sharma Award | Section A (Diploma) | Women candidates securing Highest, Second Highest & Third Highest marks |
| S N Ghosh Memorial Prize | Section A (Non-diploma) | Candidate securing Second Highest marks |
| Bhupesh Nandi & Rekha Nandi | Section B | Candidate securing Highest marks (Civil branch) |
| Glasgow Auld Students’ | Section B | Candidate securing Highest marks (all branches in both exams) |
The National Design and Research Forum (NDRF) - an Autonomous Forum of the IEI, had instituted these awadrs with a view to promote advancement of engineering design and to facilitate exchange of ideas on its different aspects.
The benchmarks created by the industries in India have included productivity, quality, safety and performance assurance thereby giving India the rightful place in the global markets. Realizing that such industries can provide the leadership to a large number of other industries in the country, IEI instituted the IEI Industry Excellence Awards in the year 2008, so as to recognize industry leaders for their innovation, excellence in engineering operations and thereby enable them to lead their industry in a competitive manner. Industries, namely, Tata Consultancy Services, Steel Authority of India Limited, Tata Motors Limited, Larsen & Toubro Limited, Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, National Thermal Power Corporation Limited, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, J K Tyre and Industries Limited, MECON Limited, NBCC (India) Limited, Goa Shipyard Ltd. are amongst the recipients of the Award.
The IEI Engineering Education Excellence Award has been instituted to recognize leading Engineering Educational Institutions and encourage for better and effective engineering education across the country. Significant development has taken place in the engineering education sector which has created benchmarks for the others to follow. The universities and institutions are no more confined to pedagogy but also diversified to R&D activities , Consultancy, Patents, Publication, Skill Development Programs, Industry interface and introduction of New Education Policy (NEP), thereby giving India the rightful place globally. Realizing that such institution can provide the leadership to a large number of others in the country, it has been considered appropriate by the IEI Council to institute the IEI Engineering Education Excellence Awards.
This prize was instituted in 1982 by the Institution for the best paper published in the Aerospace Engineering Division Part of the Institution's Journal.
This prize was instituted in 1982 by the Institution for the best paper published in the Agricultural Engineering Division Part of the Institution's Journal.
This prize was instituted in 1982 by the Institution of the best paper published in the Architectural Engineering Division Part of the Institution's Journal each year.
This Prize was instituted in 1981 and is awarded for the best paper published in the Civil Engineering Division Part of the Institution's Journal.
This prize was instituted in 1961 and is awarded by the Council of the Institution of Military Engineers for the best paper published in the Institution's Journal on a subject of common interest to all branches of engineering.
This prize was instituted in 1990 by Coal India Limited in the memory of J G Kumaramangalam and is given for the best paper invited and received by the Institution on the subject announced each year through the Institution publications. Though the subject broadly pertains to the mining industry, the exact scope of' the subject would be decided jointly by the representatives of the Coal India Limited and the Institution for year to year.
This prize was instituted in 1987 by the Institution for the best piper published in the Computer Engineering Division Part of the Institution's Journal each year.
This prize was instituted by the Directorate of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, Army Headquarters, New Delhi. This prize is to be awarded for the best paper contributed to the Institution's Journal and of relevance to the Army in the field of mechanical, automotive, production, electronics or industrial engineering.
This prize was instituted in 1987 by the admirers of Dr Tata Rao (F) and is awarded for the best paper published in the Electrical Engineering Division Part of the Institution's Journal.
The prize was instituted in 1965 for the best paper published in the Mining Engineering Division Part of the Institution's Journal.
This prize was instituted in 1963 by Gammon (India) Ltd to commemorate E P Nicolaides for his pioneering work in the field of Pre-stressed Concrete in India. It is awarded for the best paper on Reinforced and Pre-stressed Concrete published in the Institution's Journal.
The prize was instituted in 1970 by the friends and admirers of (late) Shri George Oomen who contributed to a memorial fund to establish a prize in his name to be awarded for the best paper published in the Civil Engineering Division Part of the Institution's Journal on topics : (i) Composition, properties and quality plant capacities and layout to suit different site conditions and various types of concrete dams.
The prize was instituted in 1965 for the best paper published in the Mechanical Engineering Division Part of the Institution's Journal.
These prizes were instituted in 1953. They are awarded by the Institution's Council for the best papers published in the Institution's Journal.
This prize is awarded for the best paper published in the Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or Inter-disciplinary Panels parts of the Institution's Journal in the fields of Marine Structures, Ship-building and such other topics related to Marine Engineering.
This prize was instituted in 1965. It is awarded for the best paper published in the Interdisciplinary Panels part of the Institution's Journal.
This prize was instituted in 1969 in the memory of Late Shri K F Antia, the then President of the Institution. The prize is given for the best paper published in the Institution's Journal on any subject related to engineering.
This prize was instituted in 1982 by the Institution for the best paper published in the Marine Engineering Division Part of the Institution's Journal.
The prize was instituted in 1987 by the Institution for the best paper published in the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Division Part of the Institution's Journal each year.
This prize was instituted in 1982 on an endowment by the Mysore Technical Education Society to be awarded for the best practice-oriented paper on the machine design published in the Mechanical Engineering Division Part of the Institution's Journal.
The prize was instituted in 1965 for the best paper published in the Environmental Engineering Division. Part of the Institution's Journal.
This prize was instituted in 1965 for the best paper published in the Electrical Engineering Division Part of the Institution's Journal.
This prize was instituted in 1987 by the Institution for the best paper published in the Production Engineering Division Part of the Institution's Journal each year.
This prize was instituted in 1991 by Shri Bhupesh Nandi for the Author(s) of the best paper published in the Environmental Engineering Division Part of the Institution's Journal each year.
This prize instituted in 1986 by Prof R C Singh (F), is awarded to a paper of the greatest practical importance and published in the Environmental Engineering Division Part of the Institution's Journal.
This prize was instituted in 1965 for the best paper published in the Civil Engineering Division Part of the Institution's Journal.
This prize was instituted in 1965 to be awarded for the best paper published in the Chemical Engineering Division Part of the Institution's Journal.
This prize was instituted in 1965 and is awarded for the best paper published in the Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering Division Part of the Institution's Journal.
This prize was instituted by the family members of Late Shri Suchit Kumar Ghosh, an eminent Civil Engineer and also Chief Engineer, Public Works Department, Government of West Bengal, and is awarded for the best paper on Bridge Engineering -- Design and / Construction published in the Institution's Journal. In absence of any such paper, any practice-oriented paper on Civil Engineering Project Execution could be considered.
Technical Activities with Engineering Institutes
The Institution of Engineers (India) extends financial assistance to its Institutional Members (IMs) for organizing Technical Activities at Regional/ National/ International Level in various fields of engineering in collaboration with The Institution of Engineers (India).
IEI Scholarship
The Institution of Engineers (India) awards scholarships to the meritorious student members of all the Student Chapters of IEI functioning at various Polytechnics and Engineering Colleges in India. Apart from merit, preference is also given to those student members coming from financially weaker sections of the society as an effort towards social upliftment of the nation.
Call for Papers
Papers are being invited from industries, academic institutions, R&D Organisations, Government departments, Entrepreneurs for the apex activities of the Institution embracing the theme and sub theme as stated.