BITS Pilani alumni pledge $15 million towards the institute’s goal of raising $100 million endowment

BITS Pilani is in the process of raising a $100 million endowment fund from its alumni. The institute said it has raised about $2.5 million in pledges from its alumni Prem Jain, M Sreenivasa Reddy and Preetish Nijhawan, taking the total commitment for the endowment by alumni to $15 million.

The funds will enable the institute in its mission to offer innovation and academic excellence, BITS Pilani said, adding that it will provide greater access to meritorious students to fulfil their dream of attaining education at the institute.

The initiative will aim at pioneering research that will empower innovators of the future and scientists alike, it said.


“Our alumni community has shown incredible enthusiasm for the BITS endowment fund. This generosity by these alumni leaders – Prem, Preetish and Sreenivasa – is extremely inspiring,” BITS Pilani vice-chancellor Prof. V Ramgopal Rao said in a statement:

Prem Jain, alumnus of the 1968 batch and a serial entrepreneur based out of the San Francisco Bay area, said, “This contribution is about fuelling the engine of progress at BITS Pilani. We need to empower the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs to transform their vision into reality.”

M. Sreenivasa Reddy, chairman of Ektha Group, said, “Endowment funds have the potential to bring in a change in India’s education.”

Preetish Nijhawan, chairperson of BITSAA International, said, “My four years at BITS Pilani were instrumental in preparing me for what life had in store – and the relationships I built are amongst the most sacred in my life. It is an honour to give back in a small way.”