It all started in 1920 with the establishment of the Government Research Institute, Cawnpore (Kanpur) by the efforts and great determination of Sir Spencer Harcourt Butler, the then Governor of United Provinces (present Uttar Pradesh). Next year, Institute was renamed as Government Technical Institute and its foundation stone was laid on November 25, 1921. Later on, Institute was given its all famous name – Harcourt Butler Technological Institute (HBTI) in 1926. The onwards march continued with vigour and HBTI since 1921, has always been a paragon and a source of inspiration in the field of science and technology. It has maintained its conspicuous presence in the technical world. HBTI has a history of realization and fulfilment of necessities and advancement as per current needs. It is dedicated to the cause of rapid industrial development, creating a healthy environment for applied researches and, above all, to carve out men and women, having a truly rational and scientific demeanour. ‘Attitude’ is the watchword – taking care of which, the personality of every harcourtian is moulded. Its roots are as deep as its outlook. We built a legacy over a period of time and autonomous status was granted to HBTI in 1965. Our great heritage and traditions with long years of continuous efforts brought us in a community of a selected few technical institutes of India. Government of Uttar Pradesh, by Act No. 11 of 2016, upgraded us to Harcourt Butler Technical University, Kanpur on September 01, 2016 with the mandate to be a leading Residential University and to become a Centre of Excellence with focus on research and development in the field of engineering, technology, science, humanities, management etc.
The University is spread across two campuses – the East Campus (77 acres) and the West Campus (251.8 acres) which are situated about 3 km apart in the very heart of Kanpur. We completed glorious 100 years on November 25, 2021 and the Centenary Celebration function was attended by the Hon’ble President of India.
