NT NETWORK learns about the Anuradha and Prashanth Palakurthi Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research (APPCAIR) which was set up at the BITS Pilani KK Birla Goa Campus with a funding of 1 million US Dollars contributed by its alumni
DANUSKA DA GAMA | NT NETWORK
Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani – Goa Campus (BITS Pilani –Goa) might be relatively new as compared to the other BITS campuses around India, but it has been a hotbed for innovation, research, and shaping future entrepreneurs.
And with the application of artificial intelligence across industries all set to be a game-changer in the 21st century by contributing to productivity and workflow, the Anuradha and Prashanth Palakurthi Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research (APPCAIR) was set up at the Goa campus in 2020 with a funding of one million US Dollars. The donation was made by two alumni – Prashanth Palakurthi, and his wife Anuradha.
Prashanth is the founder of the US-based company Reflexis System, a leading provider of AI-powered workforce management, task management, execution and communication solutions for multi-site organisations in retail, banking, hospitality, and healthcare. Anuradha meanwhile is the founder of Juju Productions, a music and video production company that produces content that attracts global audiences, though deeply rooted in Indian traditions.
APPCAIR will focus on projects in conceptual AI, responsible AI, implementation of AI, and applications of AI with strategic thrust on SDG-related applications in the area of agriculture, smart cities, health, engineering applications and industry-relevant Research and Development projects.
Talking about the need to give back to their institution, Anuradha tells us that living in Boston, home to Harvard and MIT, these institutions have altered the trajectory of human flourishing in almost all human endeavours.
“Their expansive vision is backed by multi-billion endowments, a significant part of which is alum-directed. We hope that someday in the next five years people say the same thing about BITS in India,” she says.
Incidentally the husband-wife duo met at the BITs Pilani campus and remembering their time at the university in 1978, Prashanth tells us: “BITS boasted of some of the finest teachers in the country, my fondest memories are in mathematics classes and computer labs.”
In fact, Prashanth is grateful to the founder G D Birla for his visionary establishment of BITS Pilani. “The institution moulded my personality. Some of my best colleagues came from BITS Pilani – and yes, I even found my wife on the campus,” he says. Besides, having Indian roots, the entrepreneur believes in Guru Dakshina, or a way of saying thank you to the institution that has made Prashanth, Anuradha and several other alumni earn name, fame and standing in the society through acceleration and innovation in their field of business or an industry, nationally and internationally.
And the couple is certain that with this centre, things will only get better. “Artificial Intelligence (AI) will alter discovery in science, technology, through faster and more insightful analysis of data. For example the APPCAIR (our centre in BITS Pilani) is testing models that can help conserve wildlife, provide a what-if framework for infection risks (which was almost 100 per cent of what actually transpired), set up project-specific collaborations with the government and private sector,” says Prashanth adding that AI and biotechnology “will extend and improve the quality of life for mankind”.
The two who were on campus in February this year are also convinced that students of today displayed great optimism in the future, in their role in shaping their future. “I am not sure I had such positive energy when I graduated,” says Anuradha, adding that they have also noted a far better managed infrastructure.
And just like the Palakurthi couple, the university has witnessed many of its alumni leaving an indelible mark in various fields. The BITS innovative educational system has produced excellent alumni who have contributed globally in wealth and employment generation as evident from large number of entrepreneurs (7500 founders/co-founders), corporate leaders (6300 CEOs), senior academicians (3350+) and leaders in public life. BITS Pilani graduates have been amongst founders of nine unicorns in India, including Swiggy, Bigbasket, MPL, Groww, Zeta, Postman, etc.
To keep their alumni network strong, BITSAA or BITS Alumni Association hosts meets that gets past pupils together where they network and sharing their learnings and experience. The other initiative called BITS Spark facilitates guidance and solutions to current students and startup founders of BITS.
Dean, Alumni Relations, BITS Pilani, Arya Kumar also works to build the institution through his work with alumni. “Top private universities as per QS World University Rankings have substantial endowment funds ranging between 30-50 Billion US Dollars. Strategically this contributes substantially to developmental and operational expenditure,” he points out and adds that Indian institutions have started focusing on it in recent past. “The alumni donations are very important for BITS Pilani, being a private institution,” he states.
Kumar adds that for transformational changes in the growth of an institution, “alumni donations would prove to be a game changer and provide much-needed funds”. “Several labs, sports facilities, and now an incubation centre is being set up through funds donated by the alumni which would give much needed impetus to relevant and purposive research and start-ups coming out from BITS Pilani,” he says.
The Palakurthis also believe that for institutes to excel, alumni are an important force to reckon with, both financially and with their expertise.
“We come from Boston – which has some of the finest educational institutes in the world. Unarguably their success comes from alum contributions,” says Prashanth.
And while the Indian education sector has come a long way, changes are necessary to keep with time and pace of rapid development, says Anuradha. “For instance, Indian universities student-selection process rewards individual accomplishments. However, all great human achievements are team-based. The difference has to be bridged,” she states, adding that BITS Pilani, through its Practice School program, is already ahead of the curve in anticipating industry demands, as it chisels professionalism in students and teaches the institution what the real world is. In fact, she says, she’d personally like such programs to extend on and off campuses
across institutions.
With research as the backbone in every sector, Kumar shares that BITS Pilani has been actively improving its research capabilities, and very recently, it has been awarded the `125 crore project on bio-cyber physical system by the Department of Science and Technology.
In addition, as a part of the curriculum, the students can opt for a research thesis for an entire semester at the best laboratories and universities. “Many of the BITS alumni are employed in research across industry, academia, and the government, helping solve the most critical problems of the society,” says Kumar.
Indeed, BITS has been ambitions with growth. In the next few years, the institution expects to transform itself as a research-led institution, with a conducive entrepreneurial ecosystem, strong industry connect, and an international outlook. And for this, it is again their alumni who are right at the heart of this vision.
The institute will have strategic focus on alumni engagements to excel in academia, research and entrepreneurship and innovation in years to come to achieve its goals set in as per the mandate under ‘Institute of Eminence’.