National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal is located in Mangalore City, Karnataka state, India. The Institute was established as Karnataka Regional Engineering College(KREC) in 1960 and upgraded to the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK) in 2002. Mangalore is the headquarters of the coastal district of Dakshina Kannada and boasts an important center of education, business, and trade in the state. Sri. U. Srinivasa Mallya, a visionary and a philanthropist, contributed immensely to the development of the coastal region of Karnataka, and his effort towards the establishment of KREC (now NITK) is the most significant one. In recognition of his role as the founder and architect of the institute, the campus premises is named after him as Srinivasnagar.
The functioning of NITK is governed by the NIT Act, 2007, and by the rules laid down by the government of India from time to time. NITK is governed by the Board of Governors which consists of representatives of the Government of India, the Government of Karnataka, Alumni, Industry, and other bodies. The Chairman of the Board of Governors is nominated by theGovernment of India.