Tech Mahindra, a leading global provider of technology consulting and digital solutions to enterprises across industries, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The Open University (OU), the UK’s largest university to drive innovation, skills development, and entrepreneurship. This strategic collaboration aims to bridge the gap between cutting-edge technology advancements and their real-world application, addressing global societal challenges like digital divide and sustainable urban development through research-driven solutions.
Through this collaboration, Tech Mahindra and OU will work together to advance research in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Extended Reality (XR), Generative AI (GenAI), and High-Tech solutions, fostering responsible and ethical technology development. The collaboration will expand OU’s Open Societal Challenges program, addressing inequality, sustainability, and barriers to well-being, and the Open Business Creators initiative, fostering an inclusive entrepreneurial community for aspiring business owners. It will also focus on developing high-quality higher education programs in India.
Harshul Asnani, President and Head – Europe Business, Tech Mahindra, said, “Technology is a powerful enabler of change, and by collaborating with The Open University, we are taking a significant step towards driving meaningful innovation. This collaboration will help address some of the world’s most pressing societal challenges while equipping future talent with the skills needed for embrace emerging technologies. Our shared commitment to ethical and responsible AI development will set new benchmarks for industry-academia collaboration.”
The MoU also represents a major step in Tech Mahindra’s long-term commitment to innovation, social responsibility, and talent development. The collaboration will create opportunities for students and professionals to gain expertise in AI, digital twins, and large language models (LLMs), fostering a new generation of tech-driven entrepreneurs and industry-ready professionals.
Kevin Shakesheff, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, The Open University said, “The Open University has always been at the forefront of education, and this collaboration with Tech Mahindra aligns with our mission to provide accessible, high-quality learning opportunities that have a tangible global impact. By combining our research expertise with Tech Mahindra’s industry leadership, we will create solutions that drive innovation.”
The collaboration will also strengthen Tech Mahindra’s position as an employer of choice, offering professionals opportunities to work on next-generation technologies with a real-world impact. Additionally, the collaboration will establish OU as a technology-enabled education and research institution, boosting their research capacity on real-world challenges and expand its student base, particularly in India.
