Tata Group signs research tie-up with Harvard & Yale on soft robotics & deep learning products

The Tata Group is tying with Ivy league universities Harvard and Yale to research and bring to market products based on soft robotic, sensors, deep-learning and network sciences. More partnerships are on the cards as the salt-to-steel-to-software conglomerate bets on innovation to grow.

The group has set aside $25 million over a five year period to fund the research and will even send the group's employees to the universities to work on the research.

"It is the Tata Group's vision to touch the live of 25% of the world's population. To accomplish this vision, we are engaging with the best research institutions around the world to enable sustainable market development," Gopichand Katragadda, Group Chief Technology Officer at Tata Sons, said.

With Harvard University, Tata Sons, Tata Communication, Tata Steel and JLR have established a six-year research alliance centered around soft-robotics, advanced materials, deep learning and sensor technologies.

With Yale, Tata Sons, Tata Consultancy Services and Tata Chemicals have set up a five-year alliance in the areas of network sciences, consumer behaviour and other research opportunities.

The group had already announced that it was working with IIT-Madras in the region of advanced materials and was collaborating with the Royal Society in the UK.

In addition to sending Tata employees to the universities, the program will also help university faculty and students to take sabbaticals and work in the Tata companies.