SAP Labs India has entered a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ramaiah Institute of Technology (MSRIT), to formalize their partnership with the institution, and further establish the various initiatives being implemented as part of the collaboration.
SAP Labs India and MSRIT have been working together on several projects since February 2023. One of the programs is Young Upstarts, an SAP initiative, to give students access to the tools they need to launch their own startups.
Through this program, SAP offers in-person sessions to interested students at the MSRIT campus to help them gain an entrepreneurial mindset, draft the ideal business pitch, and among other crucial business values required to build a successful startup.
Selected students in the Young Upstarts program will also get the chance to work with seasoned professionals to develop broad technical skills. Additionally, as part of the student-partner program, SAP Labs India has aligned with MSRIT to include two student partners (or campus ambassadors) in their developmental programs.
Sindhu Gangadharan, SVP & MD, SAP Labs India and Head, SAP User Enablement, said, “Industry-academia partnerships are essential for advancing research and development, fostering innovation, and providing economic benefits. SAP Labs India’s partnership with MSRIT is yet another step to foster our commitment to deepen industry-academia collaboration and explore synergies around emerging and new technologies. We are also excited about introducing MSRIT students to entrepreneurship with the Young Upstarts programme which aims at empowering young minds with the necessary technical and leadership skills to help shape their innovative ideas into successful ventures.”
Adding his views, N. V. R. Naidu, Principal, Ramaiah Institute of Technology, said, “The joint efforts of MSRIT and SAP Labs India will help students unleash their latent potential and enable them to learn, explore and grow under the guidance of industry experts. We are looking forward to a fruitful association and are excited for our students to be able to contribute to technological advancements for SAP’s customers globally.”
Furthering the partnership, an All-India Hackathon will be held on the MSRIT campus, open to participation from students across universities in India. SAP’s business teams will provide problem statements, basis which the young minds will build tech-based solutions with help from their mentors.
Another project in the pipeline is a special interest group called the Academia Alumni Network (AAN) as part of Research Engagement and Collaboration Hub, with MSRIT being one of the first institutions. Additionally, SAP Labs India has also progressed to branding operations at MSRIT in jointly designated locations on the campus.
The MoU can be viewed as an acknowledgement of the continued business-university relations between the two institutions. With a concreate declaration of intent, both the institutes expect that the way forward will be strewn with ideas created by some of the brightest minds, both students and professionals.
