Silicon started its second campus, Silicon West, at Sambalpur, in 2009. Spread across 37 acres of lush green campus, Silicon West is now a familiar name in technical education in Western Odisha. Robust infrastructure, highly qualified faculty, and a dedicated administrative team combine to provide a vibrant education in engineering, sciences, and technology at Silicon West.
Located in a region with limited opportunities for technology education, the Institute stands out with an educational approach that builds competencies for the graduates to be globally competent. The Digital Language Lab, a pioneering initiative in technical education in the region, builds fluency in English language use, critical to graduates’ success in today’s networked world.
Students develop the essential attributes of working in teams, thinking creatively, problem-solving and effective communication. Industry-facing education keeps them abreast with the latest developments in their chosen areas of study. Internships and rigorous pre-placement training prepares students to start their careers with respected organizations and excel in their workplaces.
Silicon West is affiliated with the Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT), recognized by the Government of Odisha, and approved by AICTE, Government of India. The undergraduate programs offered span fields of study in computer science and core engineering.
Our Mission: To provide the best of technical skills, professional ethics, and human values in enriching the disciplines of Science, Engineering and Technology for Social development and Nation building.
In 1987, the idea of Silicon Institute of Technology germinated in the minds of two young BITS Pilani graduates, Sanjeev Nayak and Laxman Mohanty. Laxman, from rural Odisha, studied hard, getting the national scholarship and going to Ramakrishna Mission and Birla Public Schools. Sanjeev, the son of a medical professor, had Indian middle-class aspirations for a better life. Although from different life contexts, the love for art, photography, and fun brought them together at BITS Pilani.
While at college, they often discussed their dreams of contributing to entrepreneurship in the IT sector of Odisha. Two years after graduating from college in 1985, Laxman, an electrical engineer, and Sanjeev, a civil engineer, quit their promising careers in the USA and government of Odisha to start Oricom Systems Pvt. Ltd. In 1987, Oricom began with a focus on IT services, marketing, and solutions in Odisha.
Over the next decade, the market need and opportunity led to Oricom becoming a leader in non-formal computer education in the state. It offered a wide range of courses in the information technology domain, set up computer labs in schools, and trained teachers.
In 1997, a strategic decision to enter formal technology education led them to establish the Gyana Bharati Charitable & Education Trust (GBCET). In 1998, GBCET formed the Silicon School of Information Technology (SSIT) to offer a Masters in Computer Applications (MCA) program. Ramananda Mishra from the publishing industry, and Nitai Gaur Dhall working in the aviation sector, from Singapore, joined Sanjeev and Laxman to set up a Trust in the non-profit education sector.
In three years, by 2001, the team’s passion to bring rigorous, outstanding, and industry-facing engineering education to young people in eastern India led to the founding of the Silicon Institute of Technology (SIT). SIT started its first campus, SiliconTech, in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, (now, Silicon University) with four AICTE approved B.Tech. programs in 2001.
After nine glorious years, it ventured into Western Odisha with its second campus, Silicon West at Sambalpur in 2009.
Founder & Working Trustee
Silicon Institute of Technology
Vice-Chairman
Silicon University
Vice Chancellor, The Assam Kaziranga University
Trustee
Senior Data Engineer, Phillips 66
Trustee
Co-Founder
Silicon Institute of Technology
Founder & Working Trustee
Silicon Institute of Technology
Founder & Working Trustee
Silicon University
Vice Chancellor, The Assam Kaziranga University
Trustee
Senior Data Engineer, Phillips 66
Trustee
Former Vice Chancellor, Berhampur University
Educationist
Ex-Executive Director
Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET) Educationist
Former Vice Chancellor, BPUT
Educationist
Director, Silicon Institute of Technology
Ex-Officio Secretary
The Silicon West community is actively building industry collaborations to promote and strengthen the institute’s academic and research enterprise. An ongoing collaboration with NORD Drivesystems Pvt. Ltd., India, seeks to undertake joint programs in the areas of gears, gearboxes, mechanical electrical and electronic industrial drives, gear trains, and transmission.
The company is a subsidiary of the NORD Drivesystems group in Germany. It is a global technology firm in the field of design and development of industrial gear drives, electric motors, and electronic variable frequency drives.
The collaboration will foster cooperation in information sharing and training opportunities for students. They will get the opportunity to do summer projects with the firm, visit exhibitions related to gear and transmission industry, and access to the latest technical journals. Students will also hear from company experts on career growth opportunities in the industry and have the chance to visit the NORD facility.
