The partnership entails faculty and researcher mobility, joint research/publications/conferences, and collaborative learning opportunities

Plaksha University, one of India’s largest collective philanthropy efforts to build a tech university of global eminence, and The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay), a leader in the field of engineering education and research, recently signed an MoU for joint research and internship opportunities for students at the respective institutions.

The MoU was signed by Prof. Rudra Pratap, the Founding Vice Chancellor of Plaksha University (former Deputy Director of the Indian Institute of Science) and Prof. Subhasis Chaudhuri, Director of IIT Bombay at the Powai campus

Under the MoU, Plaksha University and IIT - Bombay will explore knowledge sharing and research in areas such as Computer Science and AI, Robotics and Cyber-physical systems, advanced manufacturing, Bioengineering, and Education Technology.

Prof. Rudra Pratap said, “It is an honour to work with IIT Bombay. This partnership is aligned with our goal of providing contemporary technology programs with a razor-sharp focus on research-based pedagogy. It is an excellent opportunity for faculty and students to access experiential technical education at both institutions that will ultimately enhance their intellect, ideas, dynamism, and passion for innovation."

The partnership will also enable the institutions to mutually leverage:

• Visits by and exchange of faculty members, students, and research scholars
• Joint research, exchange of information, and development projects and publications
• Internship opportunities for students at laboratories of the respective institutions
• Joint conferences or symposia
• Special short-term programs at undergraduate and graduate levels

Speaking about the partnership, Prof Subhasis Chaudhuri said, “Time has come that quality higher education goes much beyond the walls of public institutions. Setting up Plaksha University is a wonderful initiative on this front. IIT Bombay will always support such an initiative and I am sure there would be miles that IITB will walk together with Plaksha”.

About Plaksha University

Founded by a global community of 100+ technology and business leaders, Plaksha envisions to reimagine technology education and research for India and the world. With strong partnerships with UC Berkeley, Purdue, UC San Diego, IIT Kanpur, and IISc Bangalore, Plaksha aims to nurture and empower a generation of catalytic leaders and create an ecosystem of research and innovation. The university collapses the traditional boundaries of engineering and promotes interdisciplinary learning by combining technology, design and entrepreneurship.

Plaksha is guided by an eminent academic board including Dr. Vijay Kumar, Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering, University of Pennsylvania; Venkatesh Narayanamurthi, former Dean of Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Sriram Rajamani, Managing Director, Microsoft Research India Julia Ross, Dean of Engineering, Virginia Tech; Krishna Palepu, Ross Graham Walker Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School; Sanjay Sarma, Fred Fort Flowers and Daniel Fort Flowers Professor of Mechanical Engineering, MIT; and business leaders such as Neeraj Aggarwal, Chairman – Asia Pacific, BCG; Hitesh Oberoi, Co-promoter & CEO, Info Edge (Naukri.com); Srikanth Velamakanni, Co-founder, Fractal Analytics; Manas Fuloria, Co- Founder, Nagarro; Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Vice Chairman, Bharti Enterprises; Navin Chaddha, Managing Director, Mayfield Fund; Sujeet Kumar, Co-founder, Udaan.com; Dalip Pathak, Special Limited Partner, Warburg Pincus LLC; CP Gurnani, MD & CEO, Tech Mahindra; Pramod Bhasin, Chairman, Clix Capital among others. Corporate donors include companies like Bharti Foundation, Havells, HT Parekh Foundation, Mphasis, Axis Bank and Motilal Oswal. The global community of business leaders who founded Plaksha can be seen here.