BITS Pilani WILP Inaugurates Automotive Competency Centre in Chennai

BITS Pilani, through its Work Integrated Learning Programmes (WILP), has inaugurated an Automotive Competency Centre (ACC) in Chennai to strengthen industry-academia collaboration in automotive and mobility systems.

The centre is designed to support experiential learning, applied research and industry engagement. It will enable working professionals, students and faculty to work on engineering projects related to next-generation mobility and manufacturing. The institute plans to establish additional competency centres in 2026 focused on emerging technology domains aligned with industry requirements.

ACC Chennai is equipped with laboratories and simulation facilities for software-defined vehicle development, e-mobility systems, embedded automotive systems, diagnostics, functional safety and automotive security. The centre will host structured immersion programmes, industry-linked projects and capability development initiatives.

Chennai was selected due to its established automotive manufacturing ecosystem and the presence of several mobility companies.

Speaking at the inauguration, Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao, Group Vice-Chancellor, said the centre aims to align academic programmes with industry needs and support innovation in automotive systems and manufacturing. Prof. G. Sundar, Director, WILP Division, said Chennai is the first location in a planned series of such centres and that the initiative will focus on practical problem-solving and industry collaboration.

The inauguration was attended by institute leadership and representatives from industry, including executives from Switch Mobility, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors and Valeo India.

WILP partners with industry to offer higher education programmes for working professionals across engineering, technology and management disciplines. It serves over 50,000 professionals annually through degree and certificate programmes delivered alongside employment.