TCS donates $35 million to Carnegie Mellon

MUMBAI: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India's largest IT services provider, gave US University Carnegie Mellon $35 million to fund a new facility and student scholarships.

The donation is the largest one a corporate has given Carnegie Mellon, the university said in a statement. It was also the largest gift from outside the US. The funds will help build the Tata Consultancy Services Building for education and cutting edge research.

"At approximately 40,000 square-feet, the stand-alone structure will house state-ofthe-art facilities, providing collaborative spaces for the CMU community. The building will provide space for TCS staff to interact with CMU faculty, staff and students," the university said in a statement. The gift also will endow Presidential Fellowships and Scholarships, increasing access for outstanding students. "As global leaders, Carnegie Mellon and TCS have the intellectual power, creativity, institutional nimbleness, and global reach to capitalise on new opportunities and have a lasting impact on society and industry through cutting-edge digital research and a long-term commitment to education," N Chandrasekaran, CEO of TCS, said in the statement.

Among the nation's major research universities, Carnegie Mellon ranks first in startups per research dollar, according to the Association of University Technology Managers, the statement said. Since 2008, CMU faculty, students and alumni have created 215 new companies, the university said.