Axis Bank, BITS Pilani Partner to Set Up ₹100-Crore Research and Innovation Park in Hyderabad
New facility to accelerate deep-tech innovation, healthcare technologies and industry-academia collaboration
Amitabh Chaudhry, Managing Director and CEO, Axis Bank, and Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao, Vice-Chancellor, BITS Pilani, during the signing of the MoU for the establishment of the ₹100-crore Axis Bank–BITS Industry Research, Technology & Innovation Park at the Hyderabad campus.
Hyderabad/Mumbai: Axis Bank and BITS Pilani have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a ₹100-crore Industry Research, Technology & Innovation Park at the BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus, creating a major platform for deep-tech research, entrepreneurship and industry-academia collaboration.
The initiative, supported through a ₹100-crore Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) grant from Axis Bank, aims to strengthen India’s lab-to-market ecosystem by fostering translational research, technology commercialisation and startup innovation.
The proposed Axis Bank–BITS Industry Research, Technology & Innovation Park will focus on life sciences, biopharma, healthcare and medical devices, with the objective of supporting the development of affordable and impactful healthcare solutions.
Located in Hyderabad, the facility will benefit from proximity to Telangana’s globally recognised life sciences ecosystem, including Genome Valley, one of India’s leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical clusters.
The project aligns with national priorities under the Government of India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives by promoting self-reliance in critical technologies and strengthening indigenous innovation capabilities.
Spread across approximately 120,000 square feet, the research park will house advanced laboratories, incubation facilities and shared innovation infrastructure designed to support startups, researchers, MSMEs and industry partners under one integrated ecosystem.
The facility will facilitate collaborative research, co-development projects, technology transfer, intellectual property management and access to BITS Pilani’s academic expertise and talent pool.
Under the partnership framework, BITS Pilani will guide the governance and research agenda of the innovation park, while Axis Bank will support the development of infrastructure through its CSR initiative.
Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chancellor of BITS Pilani, described the partnership as an important model for strengthening India’s innovation ecosystem.
“The partnership between BITS Pilani and Axis Bank is exactly the kind of forward-looking collaboration India needs to build stronger innovation systems. The Research Park will help BITS Pilani deepen its work in cutting-edge research and entrepreneurship while contributing to solutions that can make a meaningful difference to society,” he said.
Amitabh Chaudhry, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Axis Bank, said the collaboration reflects the bank’s commitment to supporting knowledge-driven innovation and long-term societal impact.
“At Axis Bank, we believe that the future of inclusive and sustainable progress lies at the intersection of knowledge, innovation and purpose. Our collaboration with BITS Pilani resonates strongly with our commitment to nurturing ecosystems that can solve real-world challenges,” he said.
Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao, Vice-Chancellor of BITS Pilani, said the research park would help create an interdisciplinary and research-intensive environment that bridges academia and industry.
“This ecosystem will support faculty-led innovation, nurture doctoral research, accelerate translation and prepare students to solve complex problems at scale,” he said.
The MoU signing ceremony was held in Mumbai and brought together leaders from both organisations with a shared vision of transforming research outcomes into real-world impact.
Established in 1964, BITS Pilani is recognised as an Institution of Eminence and is among India’s leading universities for higher education, research and innovation. In the NIRF Rankings 2025, the institution secured Rank 2 in Pharmacy, Rank 7 among universities, Rank 11 in Engineering and Rank 16 overall.
For Axis Bank, one of India’s largest private-sector banks with more than 6,275 branches nationwide, the initiative represents one of the most significant CSR-led investments in higher education research and innovation infrastructure.
The new research park is expected to serve as a catalyst for deep-tech entrepreneurship, translational research and next-generation healthcare innovations, further strengthening Hyderabad’s position as a national hub for science, technology and life sciences innovation.
