The Institute of High Voltage and High Current (IVAT) of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia was established in 1991. It was initially an educational laboratory which provides facilities for carrying out experiments, research and consultancy services in high voltage engineering beginning as early as the 1970s.

The establishment of IVAT stems out from the needs of the country for a center which carries out research and development, test and calibration works in high voltage areas, so that efficient technologies and power system apparatus can be effectively employed for the transmission and distribution to the consumer of electrical energy.