The IIT Madras Research Park on MGR Film City Road in Taramani had 192 tenants in March 2026, ranging from the research labs of global companies to startups a few months old. Its own count breaks down as 95 industrial R&D centres, 59 startups, 17 centres of excellence, three incubators and 18 other support organisations, with 99 per cent of its space occupied, according to the park’s August 2026 update. It added 41 clients in 2025-26, up from 32 the year before.
The park calls itself India’s first university-based research park. It is a separate campus next to IIT Madras, built so that company engineers, professors and students can work on the same problems in the same place. IIT Madras describes it as spread over more than 11 acres with over 1.2 million sq ft of workspace, in a February 2026 press release. Here is what goes on inside, how startups get in and what the public can and cannot do there.
How it grew
The park’s official timeline starts with groundbreaking for Phase I in 2008. A few milestones since then:
- 2010: BHEL opened an R&D centre, one of the early large tenants.
- 2016: Saint-Gobain opened its largest R&D facility in India here, at 120,000 sq ft.
- 2017: Phase II was completed, adding about eight lakh sq ft.
- 2022: Pfizer set up its first drug development centre in Asia. The same year, India’s first 5G call was made on a test bed built by a team led by IIT Madras.
- 2024: CEET, the park’s own centre of excellence, designed what the park calls India’s first large-scale 1 MWh lithium-ion battery storage system.
- 2025: The Indian Army and IIT Madras set up Agnishodh, the Indian Army Research Cell.
- 2026: ZEISS opened an innovation hub, and the park launched a deep-tech fund with Unicorn India Ventures.
The client list on the park’s home page also names Tata Steel, Renault Nissan, KLA, Caterpillar, Coromandel, Dun & Bradstreet, JK Tyre, TAFE and DRDO.
Startups and the money behind them
The IIT Madras Incubation Cell is the main incubator linked to the park. According to the park, it incubated 104 deep-tech startups in 2024, roughly one every three days. Together, the park and the incubation cell say they have supported more than 580 ventures, and that the wider ecosystem has created over 13,000 job opportunities.
In February 2026 the park and Unicorn India Ventures announced the IIT Madras Unicorn Frontier Fund I. Its details from the IIT Madras release:
- Size of ₹600 crore, which includes a ₹400 crore greenshoe option.
- Initial target of 25 or more startups, with a large share from the IIT Madras ecosystem.
- Average first cheque of ₹8 to ₹10 crore, with 60 per cent of the fund for new investments and the rest kept for follow-on rounds.
- A 10-plus-2-year life, aimed at early-stage, IP-led companies in areas such as robotics, space technology, defence, semiconductors and medical technology.
The park’s CEO, Natarajan “Nat” Malupillai, said at the launch that the country’s deep-tech scene is “at an inflection point.”
What is coming next
Phase III will add 1.2 million sq ft across six new buildings. The park said in August 2026 that construction was expected to start that quarter and finish in 12 to 18 months, and it is already taking enquiries for space in the new phase.
A semiconductor centre is also planned nearby. DT Next reported on 4 September 2026 that a ₹100 crore centre combining skills training, micro-fabrication and prototyping is proposed on a one-acre plot near the park, under the state’s Semiconductor Mission 2030 with TIDCO. A memorandum was signed in January 2026, and the plan is to train about 5,000 people, from ITI and diploma holders to PhD scholars. The Union electronics ministry told the paper the proposal was still being examined.
Can the public visit?
Not as a tourist spot. The buildings are working offices and labs, and entry is for tenants, their staff and invited visitors. Ordinary residents can still use the park in a few ways:
- Events: the park rents out event spaces, which can be booked through its website.
- Office space: companies and startups can apply through the space enquiry form on the website.
- Startups: founders looking for incubation apply through the IIT Madras Incubation Cell, which the park links to at rtbi.in.
- Jobs: the park posts its own vacancies on its careers page; tenant companies hire separately.
The postal address is IIT Madras Research Park, MGR Film City Road, Kanagam, Tharamani, Chennai 600 113. General enquiries go to enquiry@respark.iitm.ac.in, as listed on the contact page.
Quick answers
Where is the IIT Madras Research Park?
On MGR Film City Road, Kanagam, Taramani, beside the IIT Madras campus, PIN 600 113.
How many companies work there?
The park reported 192 clients as of March 2026, including 95 industrial R&D centres and 59 startups.
Is it part of IIT Madras?
It partners with IIT Madras and sits on its doorstep, but it runs as its own entity with its own CEO and leadership team.
Can I walk in to see it?
No. Entry is for tenants and invited guests. The easiest way in for the public is to attend an event held in one of its bookable venues.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- About us: India’s first university-based research park (IIT Madras Research Park)
- IIT-Madras Research Park expects Phase Three expansion to be completed in 12-18 months (IITM Research Park)
- IIT Madras Research Park and Unicorn India Ventures announce Rs 600 crore fund (IIT Madras)
- Contact (IIT Madras Research Park)
- IIT Madras Research Park home page
- Tamil Nadu’s Rs 100-crore chip centre gets ready to roll (DT Next)
