Indian Institute of Foreign Trade
The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) is a civil services training institute for the one of the central civil services Group 'A' Gazetted cadre also known as Indian Trade Service cadre , located in New Delhi, India. History. The institute was established as a "Centre of Excellence in International Trade and Business" in 1963 by Government of India. As of 2021, it is as an autonomous educational institute under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry. It was granted "Deemed to be University" status in 2002. The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has recognized IIFT as  Grade ‘A’ Institution in 2005 as well as in 2015. Campuses. IIFT Delhi Campus. The IIFT Delhi campus is located in Qutub Institutional Area, overlooking green ridge and historical Qutub Minar. The campus spread over 6.5 acres of land houses two academic blocks and two residential blocks for students and visiting faculty. IIFT Kolkata Campus. IIFT’s Kolkata Campus is located at the East Kolkata off EM Bypass in a sprawling area of around 7 acres. The campus is developed as a green and fully integrated campus with independent blocks for academic, administration and student living areas with all modern  amenities. The campus also houses three water bodies to maintain ecological diversity with enough greenery. IIFT Kakinada Campus. In 2018, then Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu, in the presence of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone for 3rd campus of Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) in Kakinada of East Godavari district at Andhra Pradesh. The State Government has allotted 25 acres land to build the Campus. Starting of IIFT full time 5 year integrated MBA(IB) Programme in a temporary premises at Kakinada has been approved. Commencement of such a programme in 2022-24  will be subject to approval of UGC. Facilities. Hostel facilities. The MBA (International Business) is a fully residential programme. The hostels have a common room with a television and table-tennis table where students can relax and rejuvenate. They also have an air-conditioned mess. Library. The Institute’s has a well-equipped library. It has a collection of latest books by eminent authors on Trade, Economy, Management and WTO related issues. It also has a collection of journals, research reports, company reports, CD-ROMs, video cassettes, International Trade Statistics and Databases. Apart from books on traditional Management and Economics  related areas, the Library has huge collection of books on upcoming areas like WTO, Intellectual Property Rights, Services Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Trade Finance, e-Business, Global Business Strategies, International Business Law, and Information Technology, etc. The Library also subscribes to over 235 Journals and Periodicals and has enriched itself with publications of national and international organizations such as UN, ITC, UNCTAD, WTO, IMF, World Bank, Ministries and Departments of Government of India. Academics. Academic programmes. IIFT has, over the years, undertaken research studies with organisations like World Trade Organization, World Bank, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD ) and the Ministry of Commerce & Industry. IIFT has also trained more than 40,000 business professionals across 30 countries via its management development programmes. Selection Process. Selection in IIFT is a four-pronged process: All of the three ability tests are normally held on a single day. A cumulative weighted score depending on the rules of that particular year of examination is taken to identify the final short-list of candidates separately for IIFT Delhi & IIFT Kolkata. International Collaborations & Student Exchange Programmes. IIFT Exchange Programme is an outcome of the institute's academic collaboration with institutions across the world. These collaborations  are mainly for student, faculty exchange programmes, joint collaborations on research and various other capacity building exercises. IIFT has developed relations with many international organizations by signing MoUs and participating in their activities or taking collaborative initiatives. The Institute is a member of the following International organizations: Rankings. IIFT was ranked 6th overall by Chronicle B School Survey 2020. It was ranked 10 by "Business Today"s "India's best B-schools 2019". It was ranked 11 by MBAUniverse.com rankings 2020. It was ranked 25 among management schools by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2021. It also ranked 1st in  D2C Competitive B-School Awards in 2021 Port Visit and Social Awareness Program. IIFT also offers its students the opportunity to visit various national and international ports. Students can choose their port of choice and are accompanied by faculty members during the visit. This is in line with the goal of providing practical exposure to what is being taught in class. The institute also has a month-long social awareness program, in which several NGOs such as Muskaan Foundation are invited to the campus to pitch their projects to the students. The students are then allowed to choose any NGO  of choice and have to work closely with the NGO for the next month. The SAP is a part of the course curriculum, and IIFT is one of the few institutions who have undertaken similar social programs. Papers and publications. The research carried out by the institute is widely disseminated in the form of study reports, monographs and occasional papers. The major beneficiaries of these research findings are academicians, policy makers, trade and industry, multilateral organizations, researchers and NGOs. In addition, the Institute publishes a quarterly journal Foreign Trade Review published by Sage Publications. The journal focuses on key relevant  areas such as international trade, finance, econometrics, IT, WTO, Trade blocs and marketing. Focus WTO, another quarterly journal published by the Institute focuses exclusively on WTO related issues. Each issue of the journal is thematic. An electronic magazine E-Zine is also published by the Centre for International Trade in Technology of IIFT. Organisation and administration. Centres at IIFT. Centre for International Trade in Technology. It is an institution in which roles of active players in international technology trade especially those of Ministry of Commerce & Industry and Ministry of Science and Technology are proposed to be synthesised. Centre for WTO  Studies. The major objective of the Centre has been to provide research and analytical support on a continuous basis to the Department of Commerce on identified issues pertaining to the World Trade Organization. In addition, it is also tasked to carry out research activities, bring out Publications on WTO related subjects, carry out Outreach & Capacity Building programmes by organising seminars, workshops, subject specific meetings etc., and to be a repository of important WTO documents in its Trade Resource Centres Centre for Trade and Investment Law. The Centre for Trade and Investment Law (CTIL) was established in the year 2016 and  the Centre’s primary objective is to provide sound and rigorous analysis of legal issues pertaining to international trade and investment law to the Government of India and other governmental agencies. Further, the Centre aims to create a dedicated pool of legal experts who could provide technical inputs for enhancing India's participation in international trade and investment negotiations and dispute settlement. In addition, the Centre aims to be a thought leader in the various domains of international economic law such as WTO law, international investment law and legal issues relating to economic integration. Centre for MSME Studies. The growing  importance of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in the economy as a whole and External Trade, in particular, has prompted IIFT to establish a separate Centre for MSME studies which can act as a catalyst to the internationalization of MSME activities. The center has become operational from May 2005. The Centre for MSME Studies at IIFT provides continuous support to the MSME sector by carrying out activities which can be broadly classified into conducting Training Programmes, provision of Business Intelligence services through a Databank and acting as a catalyst for Interfacing with other concerned and associated institutions. Centre for North  Eastern Studies (CeNEST). North Eastern Council (NEC) has entered into an agreement with Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) for the setting up of Centre for North Eastern Studies (CeNEST) at IIFT Kolkata Campus. The Centre would facilitate the North Eastern states in policy making, strategic planning and effective implementation of various trade promotion schemes and undertake research and analysis on issues relating to international trade and business, capacity building and serve as a knowledge partner.It will help the states in exploiting the potentials of exports of the products from the region and promote innovations in business. Student life . The institute has a student body called International Management Forum (IMF). IMF is the official representative student body at IIFT which acts as a coordinator for, and provides administrative support to, various student activities and events at IIFT besides taking policy decisions regarding student affairs in consultation with the Director/Chairperson/Programme Director. Among the key roles of IMF is co-ordination and supervision of the activities of various domain-specific clubs and cells. 6 clubs and 7 cells work to ensure collaborative and comprehensive learning round the year. The clubs impart domain and industry-specific knowledge via Knowledge Transfer  Sessions throughout the year. Also the practical learning experience is enhanced through the regularly scheduled competitions-case studies, Group discussions, quizzes, etc. Live projects from various corporates in all domains are also brought by clubs, which ensures significant industry exposure. The activities of the clubs and cells are supervised by the General Secretary, a member of the IMF.