Walmart, IIT Madras collaborate to accelerate research, skilling

As part of the partnership, IITM students and Walmart associates will work on research projects together in new areas of technology in India.

Suresh Kumar (third from left), Global CTO, Walmart, and Mahesh Panchagnula (third from right), Dean of Alumni and Corporate Relations, IIT Madras, during the MoU signing ceremony.

Walmart Global Tech (WGT) has collaborated with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) to accelerate research in new areas of technology, provide Walmart associates with continuing education and collaborate on projects for corporate social responsibility for their India operations.  

An agreement was signed between Suresh Kumar, an alumnus of IITM, and Global Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Walmart Inc, Mahesh Panchagnula, Dean of Alumni and Corporate Relations, IITM, and Judith Ravin, Consul General of the US. 

Through the partnership, IITM students and WGT associates will work on research projects together, facilitated by the Centre for Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research (IC&SR) at IITM. In addition, WGT will use space at the IIT Madras Research Park to leverage the broader ecosystem and work with the start-up companies incubated by the IIT Madras Incubation Cell.  

Partnership to focus on training programmes to upskill talent

WGT will also have access to several short and long-term education and training programmes to upskill talent and fit the changing needs of the retail and e-commerce industry. 

Suresh Kumar said “WGT develops and manages the foundational technologies on which our customer experiences around the world are built. Many of our associates, including me, sharpened our engineering and analytical skills while studying at IITM. Our association with IITM will help us further empower our teams, collaborate on digital innovation, and strengthen the education ecosystem in India.” 

WGT and IITM will also engage in CSR activities, in addition to grants that will be made to support faculty research and students with scholarships and fellowships. WGT will undertake sponsoring events, advertisements and other branding activities to further support IITM. 

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