The Vittal Center has been set up by EMPI as a part of the Institution’s inter-disciplinary initiative that links IT to relevant applications in Management and Governance with a clear vision to bring Industry, Government and Academia on the same platform to promote IT in India. The Center was launched on 18th June, 2004, at EMPI, New Delhi by Mr. R. Natrajan, Chairman AICTE, Ministry of HRD, Government of India, in the presence of Mr. N. R. Narayana Murthy, Chairman and Chief Mentor, Infosys Ltd. and the Center was named after Padma Bhushan Shri. N. Vittal, IAS (Retd.), Former Chairman, Telecom Commission & former Secretary, Department of Electronics, GOI, as a token of gratitude to the enabler of India’s IT Revolution.

Under Padma Bhushan Shri. Vittal's leadership the Center is aiming to become ‘EMPI’s Centre of Excellence in ICT’ that shall apart from conventional education, Training and Research function as an IT think tank for India with focus on making IT work for the common man. It has conducted a major Action Research project for ICSSR and is currently working with the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India on developing and conducting a training Programme on ICT Services Entrepreneurship. Apple Computer ( India) has been involved with the Centre to nucleate a Centre of Excellence for open source and e-learning developments as a reference site for Asia. Currently, the Centre is engaged with a few State Governments and the Governments of Korea and Taiwan in setting up India's first Innovation Clusters in High Technology.