Dec 22: The Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, an Institution of Eminence, has entered into a Collaborative Research Agreement with Skillplot to jointly advance research, training, and innovation in the field of Generative Artificial Intelligence The agreement was formalized at a signing ceremony held at the BITS Pilani campus, where representatives from both organizations exchanged documents and discussed the roadmap for this strategic partnership.
As part of this collaboration, a Generative AI Research Lab will be established at the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems BITS Pilani. The Lab will focus on emerging areas such as Generative AI, Large Language Models multimodal AI, and responsible AI, with a strong emphasis on Indian languages and societal applications. It aims to support hands-on research, development of AI-driven solutions, and foster industry–academia engagement.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Sudhirkumar Barai, Director, BITS Pilani, said,
“This collaboration is a significant step toward positioning India at the forefront of AI innovation. By combining BITS Pilani’s academic excellence with Skillplot’s industry-driven approach, we aim to create impactful solutions that address India’s linguistic diversity and societal needs.”
Deepti Lokesh Arha, Co-founder and Director, SKPLT Pvt. Ltd, added;
“Our partnership with BITS Pilani reflects our commitment to open, rigorous research and building deployable AI solutions that serve national priorities. Through the GAIR Lab, we envision fostering talent, accelerating innovation, and contributing to India’s deep-tech ecosystem.”
In addition to financial and technical support, the collaboration will include joint research projects funded by government and industry, peer-reviewed publications, and open-source outputs. It will also focus on creating NEP-aligned AI learning kits and educational resources, organizing faculty development programs, workshops, hackathons, and conferences, and building an ecosystem that connects academia, industry, and government stakeholders.
Representatives from both institutions emphasized that the GAIR Lab will accelerate growth in AI innovation by combining BITS Pilani’s academic excellence with Skillplot’s industry-driven research expertise. The agreement aims to strengthen talent development, foster innovation, and make a meaningful contribution to India’s growing AI and deep-tech ecosystem.
