M. C. Sudhakar inaugurates Mphasis AI & Robotics Lab at Sahyadri College of Engineering & Management

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, May 23, 2026: Sahyadri College of Engineering & Management, in association with Mphasis Foundation, Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM), and NASSCOM Foundation, inaugurated the state-of-the-art Mphasis AI & Robotics Lab at the Sahyadri campus on May 22.

The lab was formally inaugurated by M. C. Sudhakar, Minister for Higher Education, Government of Karnataka, in the presence of Sudham Das, Senior Vice President and Head – ESG, Sparkle Innovation Ecosystem and Communications at Mphasis Foundation Deepa Nagaraj, Managing Director of Kahani Designworks Private Limited Raman Madhok, Director – Group General Manager-Human Resource at Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd Krishna Hegde, Head-CSR at Mphasis Sumith Chauhan, Vice President of KDEM Chetan Dixit, Chairman of Sahyadri Manjunath Bhandary and Principal S S Injaganeri.

Welcoming the gathering, CEO of Sahyadri College Johnson Tellis said the AI & Robotics Lab reflected the institution’s commitment towards creating future-ready graduates equipped with technical expertise, innovation skills, internship exposure and entrepreneurial capabilities. He stressed that students should become job creators rather than job seekers and highlighted the collaboration between industry, academia and government in building an innovation-driven ecosystem.

Addressing the gathering, Minister M. C. Sudhakar described the inauguration as a significant milestone and praised Sahyadri for its focus on skill development and practical learning. He said education must go beyond theoretical knowledge and emphasised the need for hands-on exposure and industry-oriented training.

The minister lauded Chairman Manjunath Bhandary for his visionary leadership and remarked that institutions like Sahyadri were setting benchmarks for higher education in Karnataka. He also appreciated the efforts of Mphasis Foundation and encouraged similar collaborations in government colleges. Stressing the growing relevance of Artificial Intelligence, he urged educational institutions to integrate AI across all disciplines.

Speaking on the occasion, Deepa Nagaraj said the objective of the initiative was to bridge the gap between academia and industry. She noted that the lab would provide students with opportunities for practical exposure, innovation and industry-relevant skill development. She also announced seed funding support for student projects and said the initiative aimed to encourage patents, research publications and student-led start-ups.

Sudham Das praised the professionalism, infrastructure and academic environment of Sahyadri College and described the institution as comparable to premier institutes of national importance.

KDEM Vice President Chetan Dixit said Sahyadri served as a model for progressive higher education and stressed the need to create “more Sahyadris” across Karnataka.

Addressing students and faculty, Raman Madhok encouraged continuous learning and skill enhancement to remain relevant in a rapidly changing global environment.

In his presidential remarks, Manjunath Bhandary said the institution had consistently focused on bridging the gap between academics and industry expectations through skill-based education and practical exposure. He added that Sahyadri aimed to create an ecosystem where industries function directly on campus and students receive paid internship opportunities.

“Academics is the passport, but skills are the visa to success,” he remarked.

The programme concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Prof. Monisha Shetty of the MBA Department.