STPI to add 12 new centres of excellence across India

Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) on Sunday said it is setting up 12 new centres of excellence (CoE) in the fields of agriculture, gaming, GIS applications and drone tech, data analytics, health tech, big data and AI, among others.  

These domain-centric centres will nurture the startup ecosystem and help Indian startups create world-class software products, the body said in a statement. STPI was formed as an autonomous society in 1991 under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).  

“We are constantly evolving apropos the dynamic needs of the Indian IT industry. We have also infused inclusiveness and competition in the work culture of the organization. And all these have contributed to setting up 13 CoEs in various emerging technologies and subsequently planning for the launch of next 12 CoEs in a time-bound manner,” Omkar Rai, director general of STPI, said in the statement.   

“These CoEs will play a pivotal role in revving up R&D, innovation, IP creation, and product development, making India a product nation in times to come,” he added.  

The new CoEs will come up across Bengaluru, Akola, Gandhinagar, Patna, Bhubaneswar, Vizag, Gangtok, Itanagar, Kohima, Aizawl and Agartala. 

 STPI was set up to promote software exports from India, acting as a single-window for software exporters. It offers statutory services including data communication services, incubation facilities, training and value added services.  

The IT/ITES exports by STPI registered units for the year 2020-21 was valued at Rs 5,08,000 crore, up from Rs 4,21,103 crore in 2018-19, according to STPI data.