ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಸೇಂಟ್ ಜೋಸೆಫ್ಸ್ ವಿಶ್ವವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯದ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ತಂತ್ರಜ್ಞಾನ ಶಾಲೆ (School of Information Technology) ವತಿಯಿಂದ ಕೃತಕ ಬುದ್ಧಿಮತ್ತೆ ಹಾಗೂ ಯಂತ್ರ ಕಲಿಕೆ (AI/ML) ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠತಾ ಕೇಂದ್ರವನ್ನು ಜುಲೈ 24ರಂದು ಉದ್ಘಾಟಿಸಲಾಯಿತು.
ಶೆರ್ಪಾವೆಕ್ಟರ್ ಪ್ರೈವೇಟ್ ಲಿಮಿಟೆಡ್ ಸಹಯೋಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ಥಾಪಿಸಲಾದ ಈ ಕೇಂದ್ರವು ವಿದ್ಯಾರ್ಥಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಅತ್ಯಾಧುನಿಕ ಸಂಶೋಧನೆ, ಕೈಗಾರಿಕಾ ಯೋಜನೆಗಳು, ಇಂಟರ್ನ್ಶಿಪ್ ಹಾಗೂ ನೈಜ ತಂತ್ರಜ್ಞಾನ ಅನುಭವವನ್ನು ಒದಗಿಸುವ ಉದ್ದೇಶ ಹೊಂದಿದೆ.
ಉದ್ಘಾಟನಾ ಸಮಾರಂಭದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ತಂತ್ರಜ್ಞಾನ ಶಾಲೆಯ ನಿರ್ದೇಶಕ ರೆವ. ಫಾ. ಡೆನ್ಜಿಲ್ ಲೋಬೋ ಎಸ್.ಜೆ., ಡೀನ್ ಡಾ. ಎ.ಎಂ. ಬೋಜಮ್ಮ, ಅಡ್ವಾನ್ಸ್ಡ್ ಕಂಪ್ಯೂಟಿಂಗ್ ವಿಭಾಗದ ಮುಖ್ಯಸ್ಥೆ ಡಾ. ಜಯತಿ ಭದ್ರಾ, ಕಂಪ್ಯೂಟರ್ ಸೈನ್ಸ್ ವಿಭಾಗದ ಮುಖ್ಯಸ್ಥೆ ಡಾ. ಪ್ರಶಾಂತಿ ಬಿ.ಜಿ. ಹಾಗೂ ಶೆರ್ಪಾವೆಕ್ಟರ್ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯ ಸಂಸ್ಥಾಪಕ ಮತ್ತು ಮುಖ್ಯ ತಂತ್ರಜ್ಞಾನ ಅಧಿಕಾರಿ ಡಾ. ಕೆ.ಎಸ್. ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸ್ ಉಪಸ್ಥಿತರಿದ್ದರು.
ಈ ಕೇಂದ್ರದ ಮೂಲಕ ವಿದ್ಯಾರ್ಥಿಗಳು ಉದ್ಯಮ ತಜ್ಞರ ಮಾರ್ಗದರ್ಶನದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಶೋಧನೆ ನಡೆಸಲು, ನೈಜ ಯೋಜನೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾರ್ಯನಿರ್ವಹಿಸಲು ಹಾಗೂ ಉದ್ಯಮಶೀಲತೆ, ಇಂಕ್ಯುಬೇಷನ್ ಮತ್ತು ತಾಂತ್ರಿಕ ಕೌಶಲ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ಅಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿಪಡಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಅವಕಾಶ ದೊರೆಯಲಿದೆ ಎಂದು ಡಾ. ಬೋಜಮ್ಮ ತಿಳಿಸಿದರು.
ಮುಖ್ಯ ಅತಿಥಿ ಡಾ. ಕೆ.ಎಸ್. ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸ್ ಮಾತನಾಡಿ, ಭಾರತದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ತಂತ್ರಜ್ಞಾನ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರವು ವೇಗವಾಗಿ ಬೆಳೆಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದು, ಕೌಶಲ್ಯಯುತ ತಂತ್ರಜ್ಞರ ಬೇಡಿಕೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚುತ್ತಿದೆ. ವಿದ್ಯಾರ್ಥಿಗಳು ಕೃತಕ ಬುದ್ಧಿಮತ್ತೆಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಅವಲಂಬಿತರಾಗುವುದಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಪ್ರೋಗ್ರಾಮಿಂಗ್ ಮತ್ತು ಗಣಿತದ ಮೂಲಭೂತ ಜ್ಞಾನವನ್ನು ಬಲಪಡಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕು ಎಂದು ಸಲಹೆ ನೀಡಿದರು.
ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮವು ವಂದನಾರ್ಪಣೆ ಹಾಗೂ ಸಮೂಹ ಛಾಯಾಚಿತ್ರದೊಂದಿಗೆ ಸಮಾಪ್ತಿಗೊಂಡಿತು. ಈ ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠತಾ ಕೇಂದ್ರವು ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ, ಸಂಶೋಧನೆ ಮತ್ತು ನಾವೀನ್ಯತೆಗೆ ಹೊಸ ವೇದಿಕೆಯಾಗಲಿದೆ.
Bengaluru; St Joseph’s University School of Information Technology – Inaugurates Centre for Excellence in AI/ML
The School of Information Technology (SoIT), St. Joseph’s University, inaugurated its Centre for Excellence in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) on 24 July 2026. Established in partnership with Sherpavector Pvt. Ltd., the Centre aims to bridge academia and industry by providing students with opportunities to engage in cutting-edge research, innovation, and real-world technology projects.
The inauguration ceremony commenced in the Conference Room at the MAGIS Block with the gathering of postgraduate students, faculty members, programme coordinators, and dignitaries. The proceedings opened with the choir’s rendition of Thank You Lord. The dignitaries included Rev. Fr. Denzil Lobo SJ, Director, School of Information Technology; Dr. A. M. Bojamma, Dean, School of Information Technology; Dr. Jayati Bhadra, Head, Department of Advanced Computing; Dr. Prasanthi B. G., Associate Dean and Head, Department of Computer Science; and the Guest of Honour, Dr. K. S. Srinivas, Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Sherpavector Pvt. Ltd. Faculty members Dr. Mrinmoyee and Dr. Periyaswamy, Programme Coordinators, were also present. The ceremony was compered by Ms. Mustakheem Sayem Fathima.
The gathering then proceeded to the entrance of the Centre for Excellence on the second floor of the MAGIS Block, where the blessing, ribbon-cutting ceremony, and lighting of the lamp were held. Rev. Fr. Denzil Lobo SJ, blessed the Centre and reflected on the need to pair technological advancement with compassion in service of humanity. He described the Centre as more than a physical space or repository of technical knowledge, calling it a new beginning dedicated to innovation rooted in human dignity. Drawing on the Jesuit vision of forming men and women for others, he emphasised that knowledge acquires meaning only when applied for the betterment of society. He also acknowledged Dr. Bojamma’s instrumental role in initiating the collaboration between the University and Sherpavector. Following the blessing, the dignitaries cut the ceremonial ribbon and were joined by faculty members and students in the lighting of the lamp. The gathering then sang There Shall Be Showers of Blessing before returning to the conference hall.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. A. M. Bojamma described the partnership as a significant milestone for the School of Information Technology. She highlighted that students would have the opportunity to work as Research Associates and Interns on live industry projects rather than simulated classroom exercises. She noted that research undertaken at the Centre would be jointly supervised and published with experienced academicians and industry experts. Dr. Bojamma also outlined Sherpavector’s commitment to fostering entrepreneurship through seed funding, incubation support, and mentorship, while emphasising shared intellectual property ownership and faculty development. She encouraged students to seize the opportunity to prepare themselves for the evolving demands of the technology industry.
The ceremony continued with the felicitation of the Guest of Honour, Dr. K. S. Srinivas, entrepreneur, researcher, venture capitalist, and veteran technology leader with twenty patents to his credit. Introducing himself as a “fellow learner,” he quoted the Rig Veda: “Let noble thoughts come to us from all directions.” Reflecting on his entrepreneurial journey spanning more than thirteen years, he spoke about building a portfolio of nine companies employing nearly 6,000 professionals across diverse industries. He observed that with Information Technology expected to make an even greater contribution to India’s economy by 2030, the country would require nearly ten lakh skilled IT professionals.
Dr. Srinivas explained that Sherpavector operates across seven industry verticals—Aerospace, Space, Defence, Cybersecurity, Agri-tech, Pharmaceuticals, and Healthcare—with Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Cybersecurity serving as its core technological domains. He noted that many of the company’s leaders hold doctoral degrees and emphasised that the Centre would enable students to work on state-of-the-art projects, including developing large language models from scratch. Stressing that the initiative would demand the same level of commitment expected from professionals in the organisation, he remarked that students selected for the Centre would be challenged to think critically and solve real-world problems. He further shared that all 250 interns at Sherpavector had been successfully placed and encouraged students to strengthen their programming fundamentals by writing 500–600 lines of code every day without relying on AI tools, while cultivating a strong foundation in mathematics.
The programme concluded with a vote of thanks, followed by a group photograph of the dignitaries, faculty members, programme coordinators, and students, marking the formal launch of a collaboration that seeks to advance education, research, and innovation in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
