Tata Innovation Center

$50 million investment launches Tata Innovation Center

A $50 million investment from Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, will advance Cornell Tech’s mission to create pioneering leaders and technologies for the digital age.

The commitment includes a significant gift for the first phase of capital development on the Roosevelt Island campus, recognized by naming the Tata Innovation Center, a corporate co-location building formerly known as The Bridge. It also will support research collaborations between TCS and Cornell Tech and enable mutual efforts to expand K-12 digital literacy programs in New York City, with a focus on girls, minorities and the underserved.

TCS’s partnership continues a tradition of philanthropy to Cornell by Trustee Ratan Tata ’59, B.Arch. ’62, the Tata Trusts and the Tata family of companies. “The Tata Group and TCS have a long and celebrated history of investments in education and institution building in the communities in which we operate,” said Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of the Tata Group. “The Tata Innovation Center will drive applied research and collaboration between Cornell, industry and the startup ecosystem in emerging areas including human-machine interaction and cybersecurity, benefiting both U.S. business and local communities.”

TCS will become one of the tenants in the Tata Innovation Center, a first-of-its-kind building where TCS researchers and those from other cutting-edge companies from diverse industries – including Two Sigma, Citibank and Ferrero – will have the opportunity to work alongside groundbreaking Cornell academic teams. They include recent Cornell Tech graduates seeking to commercialize new ideas and work with startups and established companies developing leading-edge technologies and products.

“Cornell Tech stands apart because of our focus on academic excellence, coupled with real-world impact, and this new partnership with TCS will dramatically improve our ability to make a difference, from commercializing research to engaging with public school students across New York City,” said Dan Huttenlocher, the Jack and Rilla Neafsey Dean of Cornell Tech and vice provost. “TCS shares our vision of ensuring all students and teachers have meaningful engagements with computer science in the classroom, and with their help we will reach even more schools.”

A distinguishing characteristic of Cornell Tech’s research is that it engages deeply with external communities, organizations and industry to address real-world problems.

“The Tata Innovation Center will become a hub for New York’s tech sector and a global icon for how academia and industry can collaborate to leverage technology for the greater good,” said Cornell President Martha E. Pollack.

Media Contact

John Carberry