Telangana partners with Microsoft, 1M1B to launch India’s first Green Skills & Applied AI CoE focused on green pharma
AI-enabled Centre of Excellence to prepare future-ready workforce for sustainable manufacturing, life sciences and emerging technologies
Manju Dhasmana, Senior Director, Elevate-CSR, Microsoft, and Manav Subodh, Founder and CEO of 1M1B Foundation, present the centre's vision and implementation roadmap to Duddilla Sridhar Babu, Telangana's Minister for Information Technology, Electronics, Communications, Industries & Commerce and Legislative Affairs, at the Dr BR Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat, Hyderabad on Thursday.
HYDERABAD: In a significant push to strengthen its leadership in life sciences and artificial intelligence, the Government of Telangana has partnered with Microsoft, 1M1B Foundation (One Million for One Billion) and MeitY Startup Hub to establish India’s first Green Skills & Applied AI Centre of Excellence (CoE) with a dedicated focus on Green Pharma.
Expected to become operational by August 2026, the Centre aims to equip young people with future-ready skills at the intersection of artificial intelligence, sustainable manufacturing and life sciences, creating a talent pipeline for India’s rapidly expanding green economy and AI-driven industrial ecosystem.
The initiative aligns with Telangana’s Next-Generation Life Sciences Policy 2026–30 and complements the state’s ambitious Green Pharma City vision, which seeks to position Telangana as a global hub for environmentally sustainable pharmaceutical manufacturing through advanced technologies and innovation. As part of this vision, the state aims to create more than five lakh jobs across the life sciences sector.
AI and Sustainability at the Core
The centre’s vision and implementation roadmap were presented to Duddilla Sridhar Babu, Telangana’s Minister for Information Technology, Electronics, Communications, Industries & Commerce and Legislative Affairs, at the Dr BR Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat.
The meeting was attended by senior representatives from the Government of Telangana, Microsoft, 1M1B Foundation and Telangana Life Sciences. The delegation also interacted with students participating in Green Skills and Applied AI bootcamps, offering them an opportunity to share their aspirations and learning experiences.
Speaking on the initiative, Sridhar Babu said Telangana has already built one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical and vaccine ecosystems and now aims to make Hyderabad a global destination where the future of healthcare is imagined, developed and scaled.
He emphasised that building world-class infrastructure alone would not be sufficient, noting that investments in talent and AI-enabled skills would determine the state’s next phase of economic growth.
Preparing the Workforce for Green Pharma
The Green Skills & Applied AI Centre of Excellence will function as more than a conventional skilling institution. It is being designed as an innovation and workforce development hub where learners will apply AI to solve real-world sustainability and industrial challenges.
Training programmes will cover sectors including:
- Green Pharma
- Renewable Energy
- Climate Resilience
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Electric Mobility
- Agriculture
- Circular Economy
Participants will gain practical, industry-aligned experience through immersive learning, innovation cohorts, internships and mentorship programmes.
The facility will include dedicated learning zones for Applied AI, Green Pharma, Solar Energy, Electric Vehicles and Wind Energy, while career readiness programmes, employer engagement initiatives and job fairs will connect learners with internships, apprenticeships, employment opportunities and entrepreneurial ventures.
Microsoft Sees AI as the Operating System for Sustainable Industries
Rajiv Kumar, Managing Director and President, Microsoft India Development Centre, said artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming the operating system for sustainable industries.
He noted that AI has the potential to improve productivity, optimise energy use, accelerate research and enable more sustainable operations in life sciences and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
According to Kumar, the Hyderabad centre will help prepare a new generation of innovators capable of combining AI with Green Skills to address both economic growth and climate resilience.
Building AI Talent for the Future
Manav Subodh, Founder and CEO of 1M1B Foundation, said AI transformation, energy transition and talent development are increasingly converging worldwide.
He observed that the future of Green Pharma would be shaped not only by chemistry but also by artificial intelligence, sustainability and human talent. The Centre, he said, aims to nurture innovators, entrepreneurs and problem-solvers capable of applying AI to build cleaner, healthier and more sustainable industries.
Part of a National Initiative
The Hyderabad Centre is one of five Green Skills & Applied AI Centres of Excellence being established across India by Microsoft and 1M1B Foundation, in collaboration with MeitY Startup Hub.
Alongside centres in Bengaluru, Lucknow, Noida and Shillong, the national initiative aims to engage 100,000 young people in Green Skills and Applied AI by 2030, while creating pathways to 50,000 jobs, internships, apprenticeships and entrepreneurial opportunities.
