The Indian Institute of Technology Patna (abbreviated IIT Patna or IITP) is an autonomous institute of education and research in science, engineering and technology located in Patna, India. It is recognized as an Institute of National Importance by the Government of India. It is one of the eight new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) established by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India under The Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Act, 2011 which declares these eight IITs as well as the conversion of Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University to an IIT. The Act was passed in the Lok Sabha on 24 March 2011 and by the Rajya Sabha on 30 April 2012. IIT Patna is part of National Knowledge Network (NKN) which provides a high speed core networking for all the knowledge related institutions in India to integrate seamlessly all of the scientific community of India.