BITS Pilani sets up Automotive Competency Centre in Chennai

BITS Pilani plans to establish more competency centres this year across emerging technology areas aligned with national priorities and industrial demand.

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BITS Pilani, through its Work Integrated Learning Programmes (WILP), has inaugurated what it describes as India’s first Automotive Competency Centre (ACC) in Chennai, establishing a new platform for collaboration between industry and academia in mobility engineering and smart manufacturing.The Centre will allow working professionals, faculty members, and employers to work on engineering problems linked to next-generation mobility, software-defined vehicles, electric systems, embedded technologies, diagnostics, safety, and security. It has been conceived as part of a broader plan to establish a network of competency centres across priority technology domains during 2026.

Focus on applied learning

The Centre includes laboratories and simulation environments designed to support hands-on learning, industry-linked projects and applied research. BITS Pilani has selected Chennai as the first location owing to its established automotive manufacturing base and concentration of mobility sector firms.

V. Ramgopal Rao, Group Vice-Chancellor, BITS Pilani, said the Centre would “enable working professionals, students, and faculty to engage with real-world challenges in next-generation mobility,” adding that the initiative would support India’s capabilities in automotive systems and manufacturing.

G. Sundar, Director, BITS Pilani WILP, said the Chennai centre “has been designed to nurture both intellectual curiosity and practical capability,” and will help learners develop solutions that can be implemented in industry while contributing to India’s wider ambitions in advanced manufacturing.

Industry participation and future expansion

In attendance during the inauguration were senior members of BITS Pilani and representatives from Switch Mobility, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors, Ohm Mobility, and Valeo India.BITS Pilani plans to establish more competency centres this year across emerging technology areas aligned with national priorities and industrial demand.