E Pitch Café selects 17 deep-tech startups for incubation support; CSR donation marks new chapter in academic-industry collaboration
May 01, New Delhi, India Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi (IIIT-Delhi) hosted a felicitation ceremony last week commemorating more than a decade of its enduring partnership with STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor leader. The event brought together visionary leaders from academia, industry, and the startup ecosystem to celebrate this landmark collaboration and chart a bold course for India’s hardware and ESDM innovation landscape.
A Partnership Built on Shared Vision
The partnership, which traces its roots to 2012 with the establishment of the ECE Department at IIIT-Delhi under the guidance of Prof. R N Biswas and Prof. Pankaj Jalote, has grown into one of the most impactful industry-academia collaborations in the country. STMicroelectronics experts were instrumental in co-designing the curriculum of the MTech (ECE – VLSI and Embedded Systems) programme—today ranked among the best in India.
Prof. GPS Raghava, Director of IIIT-Delhi, and Mr. Anand Kumar, Managing Director – India, STMicroelectronics, jointly articulated a unified vision for cultivating homegrown technology and nurturing the next generation of product innovators.
“STMicroelectronics’ support transcends conventional corporate social responsibility. It is deeply woven into our academic, research, and entrepreneurial fabric. This relationship empowers our students and startups to build world-class products,” said Prof. GPS Raghava, Director, IIIT-Delhi.
A Legacy of Research Excellence
Over the years, the partnership has delivered remarkable outcomes. Experts from STMicroelectronics regularly engage in teaching, mentoring, and advising students and faculty at IIIT-Delhi. The collaboration has yielded several joint publications and patents. Notably, five PhD students working on joint STMicroelectronics IIIT-Delhi projects have received the prestigious PM Research Fellowship Award—a testament to the research depth this partnership enables.
Prof. Anuj Grover, who presented the journey of the IIITD-STMicroelectronics partnership, noted: “What began as curriculum co-creation has evolved into a comprehensive innovation ecosystem—spanning research, mentorship, silicon access, and entrepreneurial support.”
CSR Initiative and E Pitch Café
In a significant milestone, STMicroelectronics India made a CSR donation to IIIT-Delhi (through the Centre for Intelligent Product Development – CiPD) to promote entrepreneurship in Intelligent Product Development across the ESDM sector.
As part of this initiative, CiPD and the ECE Department—in partnership with Institute Innovation Council, Electropreneur Park, IHFC, IIITD Innovation and Incubation Centre, and IHub-Anubhuti—recently organised the E Pitch Café. The event received an outstanding response, attracting more than 300 registrations from across the country.
From this competitive pool, 17 exceptional teams were selected for soft incubation and financial grant support. These startups will also receive access to advanced tools, technical mentorship, and training programmes spanning Deep Tech, AgriTech, MedTech, Smart Tech, and Sustainability Tech.
The 17 selected teams presented their ideas in the event, demos, and proof-of-concept prototypes to delegates from STMicroelectronics and IIIT-Delhi leadership—a powerful demonstration of India’s next generation of product innovators.
Distinguished Guests
The ceremony was graced by the presence of Mr. Alok Mittal, Mr. Kamaldeep Bansal, Mr. Kamal Kishore Dua, Ms. Binita Madhwani, Dr. Prateek Sikka, Dr. Shalini Pathank, and Ms. Nidhi Sehgal Kaul from STMicroelectronics, along with IIIT Delhi faculty including Prof. Pankaj Vajpayee (Dean, Corporate Relations and Entrepreneurship), Prof. S SJamuar, Prof. Anubha Gupta (Head, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering), Prof. Anuj Kumar, Prof. Sumit Darak (Dean of Academic Affairs), and Prof. Sujay Deb. Dr. Akash Sondhi (IHFC) and Mr. Imran Yusuf (COO, Electropreneur Park) also joined the proceedings and shared valuable insights.
