Announcement
Apollo Knowledge and the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (BITS Pilani) signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, in the presence of Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Founder‑Chairman of Apollo Hospitals Group, Dr. Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice‑Chairperson of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited, and Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao, Group Vice‑Chancellor of BITS Pilani.
Collaboration Scope
The MoU outlines three core areas of cooperation: (i) joint research on clinical and healthcare challenges, with specific problem areas to be identified as the partnership evolves; (ii) development of Work‑Integrated Learning (WIL) programmes that enable doctors, nurses, allied‑health professionals and healthcare managers to earn recognised qualifications while remaining in their jobs; potential curriculum topics include healthcare logistics and supply‑chain management, pharmacy operations and hospital finance, with content built around the actual work performed by participants; (iii) creation of specialised allied‑health and healthcare‑technology programmes that combine BITS Pilani’s engineering, data‑science and competency‑centre expertise with clinical training delivered in Apollo hospitals. The partners will also extend technology‑focused learning to students at The Apollo University, Apollo’s medical and nursing colleges, and institutions partnered with Apollo Healthcare Academy.
Statements from Leaders
Dr. Preetha Reddy emphasized that the partnership aims to blend “high tech and high touch,” enabling healthcare professionals to learn while they continue to care and to build capabilities for a rapidly changing world. Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao highlighted the direct impact of engineering on health outcomes and expressed confidence that the collaboration will generate both research outputs and a new generation of trained professionals.
About Apollo Knowledge
Apollo Knowledge is a higher‑education, skilling and workforce‑development group backed by the promoters of Apollo Hospitals. Its portfolio includes The Apollo University, Apollo Institute of Medical Science and Research, Apollo Nursing Colleges, Apollo Healthcare Academy, Medvarsity and Global Workforce Development. More than 10,000 students are currently on campus receiving clinical training, and over 5,000 healthcare professionals have been placed in roles in India and abroad, including more than 400 radiographers who joined the United Kingdom’s National Health Service in the last three years.
About BITS Pilani
The Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, founded in 1964 under the patronage of the Birla family, is a private deemed‑to‑be university and one of the first six institutions declared an Institution of Eminence by the Government of India. It operates campuses in Pilani, Goa, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Dubai. Its Work‑Integrated Learning Programme division has offered degree programmes for working professionals since 1979; to date, 136,000 professionals have graduated, and more than 50,000 are currently enrolled across India and in over 32 countries. Over 350 companies collaborate with BITS Pilani for workforce development.