~Centre to Serve as a Platform for Industry, Academia, Researchers and Students for Research and Knowledge Generation

The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, a premiere global management Institute, announces the launch of the Brij Disa Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (CDSA). The endowment for this Centre has been contributed by Mr Deepak Gupta, Joint Managing Director, Kotak Mahindra Group.

The Centre shall undertake leading-edge research in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence that will support businesses, governance, and policymaking. It aims to forge synergistic and collaborative relationships between scholars and practitioners in data-intensive organizations, besides undertaking case-based research to understand the current industry practice and develop case studies for classroom teaching.

Announcing the launch of the Centre, Professor Errol D’Souza, Director, IIMA, said, “Data Science and Artificial Intelligence are increasingly impacting businesses across the world. AI has become an inevitable part of our lives. To harness the power of these advanced technologies for augmenting businesses, the need of the hour is to bring together different stakeholders onto the same platform, conduct intensive research to identify challenges, determine potential and provide impactful insights. The Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at IIMA will take on an important role wherein it will create knowledge that will further augment growth in business and societal advancement, at large, through its offerings.”

Besides connecting relevant stakeholders, CDSA will also be responsible for dissemination of the knowledge to a wide audience both within and outside the realm of the Institute through seminars, workshops and conferences.

Elaborating on the goals of the Centre, Professor Ankur Sinha, Co-Chairperson, CDSA said, “We intend to develop the Centre as the epicentre of knowledge on Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. An important step towards this goal is to undertake in-depth research on the practical application of data science and AI and share the knowledge generated, thereof. We also aim to engage with the industry and establish synergies that can provide sound technical exposure to the students and offer plausible solutions that can be utilised by the industry and academia.”

Professor Anindya S Chakrabarti, Co-Chairperson, CDSA explained the imminent need for research and development in the field of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. “AI has transitioned from being a field of science to an integral element of our daily lives. There is a pressing need to harness the power of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. This can be a game changer, not just for businesses but also for societal needs. The Centre will provide insights that can be of tremendous value to policy makers,” said Professor Chakrabarti. 

The Centre will also take up challenging consulting projects of considerable practical importance in collaboration with industry players. One of the major highlights of the Centre is an exhaustive annual report on the Data Science and Artificial Intelligence industry in the country, which shall provide a holistic view of the industry, identify challenges and gaps, gauge scope of the industry and offer plausible solutions.

Advisory Committee Members:

The advisory committee of the Centre includes Sanjiv Das, William and Janice Terry Professor of Finance at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business; Sunil Gupta, Edward W. Carter Professor of Business Administration, and co-chair of the executive program on Driving Digital Strategy at Harvard Business School; Tiziana Di Matteo, Professor of Econophysics in the Department of Mathematics, King’s College, London.