Collaboration between IIT Hyderabad (IITH) and Japan started based on the commitment to initiate a working group for setting up a new IIT in August 2007 between then Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe and Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh. Following the policy decision, the Government of Japan established the IITH consortium of Japan in August 2009 as the umbrella organization of government, academia, and industry from Japan aiming at promoting collaboration with IITH.