In a move aimed at strengthening India’s semiconductor and electronics manufacturing talent and research ecosystem, the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) has partnered with Cyient Foundation and Cyient Semiconductors Private Limited on March 3, 2026, to support advanced education and research in the rapidly evolving fields of semiconductors and electronics.
The three-year collaboration will support meritorious masters in Technology (M Tech) students at IITGN while strengthening industry-academia engagement in semiconductor and electronics technologies. Under the partnership, Cyient Foundation will serve as the funding partner by providing fellowships, while Cyient Semiconductors will act as a knowledge partner, offering strategic guidance, mentoring support, technical input, and access to domain experts.
Through this initiative, three M Tech students in the academic year 2026-27 will receive a monthly fellowship of Rs 15,000 for a duration of 24 months. In addition, each selected student will be provided with a one-time research grant of Rs 50,000 during the first year of the programme.
Speaking at the ceremony, director, IITGN, emphasised the strategic importance of semiconductor innovation and next-generation digital infrastructure. He said, “As computational demands grow exponentially, particularly with artificial intelligence and graphics processing unit driven systems, we must rethink how we design and power our digital infrastructure. Improving power efficiency and advancing semiconductor technologies is not merely an engineering goal, it is a national priority. Partnerships that combine academic research with industry expertise are essential to accelerating meaningful impact.”
“When developing semiconductor products, we should think beyond India as a standalone market. If we design for global markets first, scale and competitiveness will naturally follow,” he further added.
Further, emphasising the importance of speed, scalability, and global competitiveness in semiconductor innovation, chief executive officer, Cyient Semiconductors, stated, “In semiconductor product development, cycle time and determinism are absolutely critical. Without robust process design kit readiness, equipment redundancy, and predictable turnaround timelines, innovation inevitably slows down. If development cycles extend to several months due to single-tool dependencies or lack of prioritiSation, global competitiveness becomes difficult. We must build multi-tool capacity, reduce cycle time, and scale efficiently.
Highlighting the foundation’s commitment to strengthening India’s semiconductor talent pipeline, president and head of corporate functions, Cyient, said, “India’s semiconductor ambitions will ultimately depend on the depth of its technical talent and the strength of its research ecosystem. Through this collaboration with IITGN, we are not merely supporting individual students, we are investing in the future capability of the nation. By enabling focused fellowships, research exposure, and industry mentoring, we aim to create engineers who are globally competitive and industry-ready from day one.”
