Axis Bank commits over ₹80 Crore to advancing frontier research and education at Plaksha University, dedicates Axis Bank FutureTech Building

India, 8th December 2025: Axis Bank, one of the largest private sector banks in India, has deepened its commitment to advancing technology education and research with the launch of the ‘Axis Bank FutureTech CSR Initiative’ at Plaksha University. The cornerstone of the Bank’s commitment is the establishment of the ‘Axis Bank FutureTech Building’, a state-of-the-art facility designed to foster experiential learning, interdisciplinary research, and enhance collaboration between industry and academia. This multi-year partnership underscores Axis Bank’s role as an early advocate of Plaksha University’s vision to reimagine higher education in India. It also highlights the Bank’s contribution to the development of frontier technologies in the emerging technology hub of the Chandigarh tri-city region, thereby reinforcing its support for ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’. 

This new infrastructure on the university campus aims to play a pivotal role in piloting cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research and innovation, driving industry-academia collaboration and becoming a hub for knowledge exchange. The building shall house the Institute for Inventing the Future and the School of AI & Computer Science, as well as other advanced labs. 

The Axis Bank FutureTech CSR Initiative shall also support the University’s long-term institutional growth, enabling Plaksha to focus on interdisciplinary learning, experimentation, and innovation at scale. As a part of the collaboration, the Bank shall also support in the following areas – 

• Establishing the Axis Distinguished Faculty Chair: The named Chair shall focus on interdisciplinary research in the domain of “AI + X”. 
• Academic Programs & Innovation Projects: Supporting programs and projects by faculty and students, focused on AI, robotics, blockchain, and other frontier technologies. 
• Fellowships and Scholarships: Supporting PhD fellowships and scholarships for undergraduate students, enabling the development of India’s next generation of deep-tech innovators. 
• Global Collaborations and Knowledge Exchange: Enabling partnerships with top international institutions for faculty and student exchanges, joint research, and shared learning in frontier technologies. 

 During the launch event, Mr. Amitabh Chaudhry, Managing Director and CEO, Axis Bank, said, “At Axis Bank, we believe that innovation is a national imperative. The FutureTech Building is more than just bricks and mortar—it is a symbol of Axis Bank’s commitment to nurturing innovation, fostering collaboration, and investing in the future of India’s tech talent. Our sustained partnership with Plaksha University is aligned with our conviction that India must nurture world-class research and education ecosystems. By supporting research, scholarships, PhD fellowships, and cutting-edge infrastructure, we are enabling a pipeline of talent that will lead breakthroughs in AI, deep-tech, and emerging technologies, driving both economic growth and societal impact.”  

“This partnership represents more than financial support - a shared vision to advance India’s technology and research capabilities,” said Prof. Rudra Pratap, Founding Vice Chancellor, Plaksha University. “Axis Bank’s commitment has enabled us to build an ecosystem where students and researchers can collaborate, innovate, and translate frontier technology research into practical solutions that impact society. We are deeply grateful for their long-term belief in our mission”, he added. 

Axis Bank has been among the earliest supporters of Plaksha University. Since 2021, the Axis Bank Scholarship Program has been supporting over 30 undergraduate scholars of which 16 scholars graduated as part of Plaksha’s first ever graduating class in July 2025. Axis Bank’s support demonstrates how collective giving, and strategic CSR, can help achieve India’s ambitions in research and innovation towards nation building. 

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About Plaksha University: 

Founded by a global community of more than 100 technology and business leaders, Plaksha envisions reimagining technology education and research for India and the world. With strong partnerships with UC Berkeley, Purdue, UC San Diego, Cornell University, Penn Engineering, IIT Kanpur and IISc Bengaluru, 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 Vijay Kumar, Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering, University of Pennsylvania; Prof. S Shankar Sastry, Thomas Siebel Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, Venkatesh Narayanamurthi, former Dean of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; Sriram Rajamani, Corporate Vice President, 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, Chair – Asia Pacific, BCG; Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Vice Chairman, Bharti Enterprises; Hitesh Oberoi, Co-promoter &; CEO, Info Edge (Naukri.com); Srikanth Velamakanni, Co-founder, Fractal Analytics; Manas Human, Co- Founder, Nagarro; Navin Chaddha, Managing Director, Mayfield Fund; Sujeet Kumar, Co-founder, Udaan.com; Dalip Pathak, Special Limited Partner, Warburg Pincus LLC; CP Gurnani, former MD & CEO, Tech Mahindra; Pramod Bhasin, Chairman, Clix Capital among others. Corporate donors include companies like Bharti Airtel Foundation, Axis Bank, Indorama Ventures, Havells, Harish and Bina Shah Foundation, HT Parekh Foundation, Mphasis, Info Edge and Motilal Oswal. The global community of business leaders who founded Plaksha can be seen here. 

About Axis Bank: 

Axis Bank is one of the largest private sector banks in India. Axis Bank offers the entire spectrum of services to customer segments covering Large and Mid-Corporates, SME, Agriculture, and Retail Businesses. It has 5,976 domestic branches (including extension counters) and 13,177 ATMs and cash recyclers spread across the country as on 30th September 2025. The Bank’s Axis Virtual Centre is present across eight centres with over ~1,786 Virtual Relationship Managers as on 30th September 2025. The Axis Group includes Axis Mutual Fund, Axis Securities Ltd., Axis Finance, Axis Trustee, Axis Capital, A.TReDS Ltd., Freecharge, Axis Pension Fund and Axis Bank Foundation. 

For further information on Axis Bank, please refer to the website: https://www.axisbank.com