IT services firm Mphasis has partnered with the Indian School of Business to set up an artificial intelligence (AI)-focused research and innovation hub, with the company committing around ₹20 crore over four years through its philanthropic arm.
The proposed ‘Mphasis AI Hub’ aims to accelerate AI-led research, innovation, and capacity building for societal and sectoral impact. The initial focus will be on healthcare and financial services, where enterprises are increasingly experimenting with AI-led automation, analytics and decision-making tools, Mphasis said.
The investment, routed through the Mphasis F1 Foundation, comes at a time when Indian IT services firms are stepping up collaborations with universities and research institutions to strengthen AI talent pipelines and build domain-specific AI use cases amid growing enterprise demand.
According to Mphasis, the hub will function as a dedicated interdisciplinary AI research centre at ISB and support applied research, policy studies, digital literacy initiatives, and frameworks to evaluate the business impact and sustainability of AI deployments.
The initiative will also work to develop AI learning resources, faculty-led teaching innovations, and collaboration between academia, industry, and government stakeholders.
“As AI continues to reshape industries and redefine how organisations operate, this research platform, combined with ISB’s academic expertise, will advance responsible, informed decision-making,” Deepa Nagraj, Senior Vice President & Global Head - ESG, Sparkle Innovation Ecosystem, and Communications, Mphasis, said in a statement.
Professor Madan Pillutla, Dean of ISB, said the collaboration would support the institution’s efforts to build research around ethical and responsible deployment of AI technologies. “We are thankful for this collaboration with Mphasis, as this reflects our belief that AI, when guided by rigorous research and ethical frameworks, can drive meaningful change across sectors and communities,” he added.
The partnership reflects a broader push by technology companies to move beyond AI pilot projects towards long-term ecosystem building, especially in sectors such as healthcare and BFSI, where regulatory scrutiny and responsible AI adoption are becoming increasingly important.
On May 20, Persistent Systems partnered with the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad to introduce a framework to help enterprises evaluate and scale AI investments.
For IT firms, such tie-ups also help strengthen relationships with enterprises looking for sector-specific AI capabilities while creating access to academic research and skilled talent.
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