A monumental gathering of India’s foremost technology and science shapers recently converged at the GITAM (Deemed to be University) Bengaluru campus for a daylong RevolutioNex, an Industry Advisory Board Conclave aimed at reshaping engineering education aligned to industry needs.
Attended by industry luminaries such as Dr. G Raja Singh from DRDO (Brahmos Project Deputy Director) Dr. Umamaheswaran, the Satish Dhawan Professor at ISRO, Mr. R K Shenoy, SVP Mobility Engg at BOSCH, Mr. Ravi Tallapragada – President Marelli India, etc., it facilitated interaction between faculty, students, and leading experts — fostering structured focused group discussions supporting the restructuring of GITAM’s engineering curriculum to make it more industry-ready. The industry advisory board reviewed and debated the approach taken by GITAM (Deemed to be University) management to introduce revolutionary specializations like Software-defined vehicles, IC Design Technology, Civil Engineering with Computer applications, Industrial Biotechnology, Electric Vehicle technologies, and many other variants to meet expectations of industry verticals.
Dr. Umamaheswaran, the Satish Dhawan Professor at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), outlined how India’s space odyssey has come from sounding rockets to Chandrayaan-3, Aditya-L1, and Gaganyaan. Highlighting the numerous, unsung applications of space technology in modern communications, navigation, aviation, and disaster management, he spoke about the ethos of ISRO and encouraged students to imbibe these values. “People ask what makes ISRO tick. We are lucky to have a succession of visionary leaders. ISRO’s defining characteristic is its openness and transparency. Nobody is discouraged to speak, even if the final decision is collective. Finally, deep passion for and absolute commitment to your work is crucial,” said the ISRO veteran and former Human Space Flight Centre Director.
The conclave featured themes and discussions on a range of critical topics, including emerging industry trends, the areas of mutual collaborations for a win-win model, the role of universities in meeting industry expectations, addressing talent challenges, and a captivating success story from the BRAHMOS Missiles Program. Many companies exhibited their products with the most modern and advanced technologies, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary education to design technology-led products.
In attendance were science and tech thought leaders, Mr. Adishesha, Director of Technology Collins Aerospace; Dr. Lokesh Boregowda, Sr. Director SAMSUNG R&D; Mr. Sridhar Chari, Sr Director, Applied Materials; Srimathi Shivshankar, EVP – HCLTech; Dr. Ravikumar GVV – SVP Infosys; Vishwanth MS, VP of Centum Electronics; Kottai A, Global Head, AWS – TCS; Sreekant Aradhya – BOSCH; Dr. Mukund Rao – GIS & Space consultant; Ranjani Rajanikant, Sr. Director Honeywell; Dr. Viju Ravindran – ATHWORKS; Srinivasa Rao, AVP, T- Systems; Chandrasekhar Arcot, CTO, Axion Tech; Keshav Karunakar – KPIT Technologies; Manoj Mone, Nutanix, and other senior technology experts.
Prof KNS Acharya, Pro Vice-Chancellor GITAM (Deemed to be University) Bengaluru, who helmed the event, said, “GITAM’s journey of reshaping the entire engineering education is enriched by significant contributions by technology leaders of global industry partners during this conclave. We are entering an exciting phase whereby all the conventional engineering branches will now be taught with a new interdisciplinary approach and relevant computer applications. We will work very closely with Industry partners to set up R&D labs, Industry offered electives, and many more.”
Virander Singh Chauhan, the Chancellor of GITAM (Deemed to be) University, said, “The culture of a university is to get educated, not skilled. Industry is universally especially important for university and vice versa. But the core value of education remains where it should remain. We do not need to worry too much about putting skills down young people’s throat. One third of the US population was unvaccinated, when they had more vaccines than anyone — since they did not believe in vaccines. Skilling is inevitable in a good university, but it is incumbent upon a university to ensure that graduating people are going out not just as skilled but educated.”
This convergence of tech titans and academics represents a pivotal moment in the development of engineering education. It underlines the commitment to producing industry-ready graduates who can drive innovation and contribute significantly to India’s thriving tech landscape.