TCS announces new doctorate funding program

HYDERABAD, INDIA: Global IT services major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) today announced a new program to encourage quality academic research and thereby increase the available faculty talent pool in India.

The company said in statement that it will fund 200 doctoral candidates over a period of five years to take up PhD programs in reputable academic institutions across the country.

The “TCS Research Fellows” will pursue original research in various aspects of computer science, said the TCS press release. 40 doctoral or PhD candidates will be chosen as TCS Research Scholars every year from a number of reputable academic institutes through a process of selection conducted by TCS and the academic institutes.

Announcing the program on the sidelines of Sangam, TCS’ annual academic conclave, N Chandrasekaran, CEO and MD said, “At a time, when the introduction of new technologies are changing business models rapidly, there is an urgent need for more focused research to stay ahead of the learning curve.”

He said the TCS Research Scholars program will help enlarge the R&D agenda and encourage exploration of new ideas by funding candidates in doctorate programs.

“TCS works with our academic partners through the year to examine ways of deepening our relationship. The TCS Research Scholars Program is a new initiative to take this engagement with academia to the next level,” said Ajoy Mukherjee, Head Global HR.

“By inducting 200 new PhD scholars into the academic eco-system over a period of five years, this initiative will also significantly enhance the pipeline of high quality faculty for colleges, apart from generating new ideas and honing research talent in the country,” he added.

The new program will supplement existing TCS programs like the 'Academic Interface Program', which is a holistic initiative to enhance the quality of the emerging workforce across the globe by supporting students, faculty, institutes and government, the release added.

The program engaged with 499 academic institutes in India and over 85 overseas during FY2009, conducting over 130 faculty development programs benefiting over 4,000 instructors and 400 workshops for over 52,000 students globally. Over 1300 students benefited from TCS internships and awards, said TCS.