Plaksha University Launches Binny Bansal Institute for Inventing the Future With an initial funding of INR 70 crore from Bansal, IIF is set to drive impactful innovations across sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, energy, and environmental sustainability.
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Plaksha University, a leading technology institution dedicated to reimagining higher education and research in India, has launched the Binny Bansal Institute for Inventing the Future (IIF).
The research institute, backed by Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal, will focus on leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and robotics to tackle global challenges. With an initial funding of INR 70 crore from Bansal, IIF is set to drive impactful innovations across sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, energy, and environmental sustainability.
Speaking on the launch, Binny Bansal, who also founded xto10x, emphasised the importance of technology in solving real-world problems. "The future of technology lies in solving real-world challenges. This institute reflects my belief that frontier technologies can radically improve lives, from healthcare advancements to clean energy solutions," he stated.
A key focus of IIF is fostering collaboration between academia and industry, allowing for the commercialisation of research-based innovations. By transforming cutting-edge research into scalable solutions, the institute aims to address both local and global challenges. Additionally, it will play a pivotal role in developing AI talent in India, helping bridge the country's existing skill gap in deep-tech domains.
As part of this initiative, IIF will build upon Plaksha University's long-standing collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley. Berkeley's Artificial Intelligence Research (BAIR) Lab, one of the world's foremost academic AI research centers, will contribute to joint research projects, faculty and student exchanges, and best practices in AI education.
Professor Shankar Sastry, Founding Chancellor of Plaksha University and Thomas Siebel Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at UC Berkeley, highlighted the significance of this initiative. "The launch of the Binny Bansal Institute for Inventing the Future marks a critical milestone in India's deep-tech ecosystem. The institute will act as a hub for integrating technical and societal aspects into our emerging infrastructure systems," he said.
He further emphasised that the Berkeley-Plaksha partnership will bring global expertise, cutting-edge research, and interdisciplinary learning to India, positioning the country as a leader in deep-tech innovation.
Founded by a global network of over 100 technology and business leaders, Plaksha University is committed to revolutionising technology education. With strong academic ties to institutions such as UC Berkeley, Purdue University, UC San Diego, University of Pennsylvania, IIT Kanpur, and IISc Bangalore, the university integrates engineering, design, and entrepreneurship to nurture future tech leaders.
Beyond his involvement with Plaksha, Binny Bansal has supported several entrepreneurial ventures, including xto10x, Udhyam Learning Foundation, Three State Ventures, 2GUD, and 021 Capital. Recently, he launched Opptra, a franchising business that helps consumer brands scale across Asian markets. Backed by former Amazon and Flipkart executives, Opptra is developing a global supply chain infrastructure to support category-specific franchise businesses.
With the launch of IIF, Binny Bansal and Plaksha University are set to drive transformational research and innovation, fostering India's next wave of deep-tech pioneers.
