BITS Pilani and Rane Group Signs MoU to Forge Strategic Industry-Academia Collaboration

Goa Khabar: Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rane Group, a leading manufacturer of safety-critical automotive components, to forge a strategic collaboration.

Headquartered in Chennai, Rane Group is one of the preferred OE manufacturer and supplier for auto majors in India and globally. The Group serves a variety of vehicle segments: Passenger Vehicles, Commercial Vehicles, Farm Tractors, Two-wheelers, Three-wheelers and Railways.

This partnership will create a structured framework for collaborative R&D, IPR creation and its commercialisation, skilling through educational programmes amidst fast changing knowledge creation and technology developments, building institutional pipelines for student projects, internships, deep-tech talent incubation related to manufacturing sector and placement opportunities for graduating students. 

It will leverage the academic expertise and infrastructure across BITS campuses along with Rane Group’s extensive manufacturing expertise to address next-generation automotive challenges, focusing on advanced electronics, autonomous mechanical systems, smart manufacturing and AI applications for enhancement of productivity and efficiency of operations.

Speaking during the MoU signing event, Prof V Ramgopal, Group Vice Chancellor, BITS Pilani said, “The need of the hour is to build stronger ties between industry and academia that should contribute to tangible gains to both. Our partnership with Rane Group aligns perfectly with BITS Pilani’s philosophy of industry-oriented learning and research-driven innovation. By combining our academic rigor with Rane’s industrial deeper insight, we aim to accelerate the lab-to-market pipeline and academic rigor that will prepare future ready professionals for industry.”

Highlighting the value of the collaboration, Mr. Harish Lakshman, Chairman, Rane Group said, “As the automotive component sector rapidly evolves with advancements in electronics and autonomous platforms, developing a competitive edge requires robust industry-academia collaboration to come out with cutting edge technologies and solutions to the problems.  This partnering with a premier institution like BITS Pilani allows us to nurture future-ready technical talent and co-create next-generation automotive technologies that will strengthen India’s manufacturing sector.”

Along with Prof. Ramgopal Rao, Dean and Senior Faculty from BITS Pilani including, Prof. Arya Kumar, Dean (Institute wide), Alumni Relations; Prof. Sounak Roy, Dean (Institute wide) Research & Innovation; Prof. Raj Kumar Gupta, Professor, Department of Physics, attended the MoU signing event.

This collaboration of BITS Pilani and Rane Group reflects a mutual commitment to derive value proposition for the industry as well as academia.