Tech Mahindra, BPUT tie up for innovation centre

Tech Mahindra’s Bhubaneswar centre has signed a pact with Odisha’s Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) for establishing a ‘Centre for Innovation’ here.

The pact was signed between Shyam Sundar Pattnaik, vice chancellor, BPUT and B K Mishra, Global Delivery Head of Tech Mahindra in the presence of Skill Development & Technical Education minister Sanjay Kumar Das Burma.

In a first of its kind initiative, BPUT would collaborate with the industry for solving industry’s problems. Students pursuing Phd and M Tech (Master of Technology) at the university will be at the IT major’s campus for a period ranging from one year to three years.

“It is a start-up of innovation. An academic institution coming to an industry campus is a rare occasion. It is an integration of industry and academics. The students will be here for three years so that the industries get benefit from their presence”, said Patnaik.

Students from the M Tech programme and MCA (Master in Computer Applications) will also be eligible to pursue their programmes at the Centre. It is an indirect approach of the varsity for getting the MTech students placed, he added.

Initially, 25 students would be selected to work in the field of research and development (R&D) at the innovation centre through a stringent selection process. The operational guidelines for the centre will be finalized and it will be operational in the next four months.

Presently, 410 students are pursuing doctorate degrees at the varsity and 200 more are likely to be added in this year.

Speaking on the occasion, Mishra said, Phd and MTech students will work on industry grade problems and finding the solutions will help the industry.

In the collaboration, the varsity will provide the brains and Tech Mahindra will provide coaching, guidance and infrastructure in the form of lab. It will solve the industry problems in the area of digital technologies and internet of things (IoT), Mishra added.

An executive from Tech Mahindra and one from the varisty will act as co-guides for the Phd scholars. The technical university is also in the process of starting executive programmes for working professionals who are keen to take up higher studies.