17 June 2026, Mysore: IIM Bangalore has announced a significant philanthropic commitment by the Tata Trusts, marking a pivotal step in the development of a world-class, Undergraduate School in Bengaluru. The grant will directly support the Institute’s long-term academic vision, campus design and institutional roadmap for excellence in higher education in India.
The idea for the new School of Undergraduate Studies, located approximately 27 kilometres from IIMB’s main campus, was conceived as part of the Institute’s broader vision to contribute to undergraduate education in India with the same academic rigour and global orientation that define its postgraduate and executive education programmes.
The school will initially offer two four-year, full-time residential programmes: a BSc (Honours) in Economics with a minor in Data Science, and a BSc (Honours) in Data Science with a minor in Economics, both commencing in August this year. The curriculum integrates data science, economics and business studies into an interdisciplinary framework designed to prepare students for a complex, data-intensive market environment. With a cohort of 80 students (40 in each stream), the structure enables focused learning, personalised attention and a high degree of academic mentorship within IIMB’s learning environment.
The landmark endowment will underpin the development of world-class academic and residential infrastructure. It will enable new research clusters at the intersection of emerging fields including Artificial Intelligence, data science, algorithmic design, Indian Knowledge Systems and applied business learning. The institutional support also strengthens IIMB’s commitment to nurturing a dedicated faculty body drawn from myriad academic disciplines.
For the Tata Trusts, this commitment is rooted in a long-held belief that the most lasting investments a philanthropic institution can make, are in knowledge and in the people who carry it forward. The Trusts have consistently nurtured efforts to build institutions that are academically rigorous, globally oriented and connected to India’s development. An undergraduate programme designed around data, economics and evidence aligns closely with that tradition.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Noel Tata, Chairman, Tata Trusts , said, “The Tata Trusts have for over a century supported some of India’s most defining institutions like the Tata Memorial Hospital and the Indian Institute of Science. This support reflects the same instinct, to build institutions of enduring value through support at an early, formative stage when philanthropic capital can shape not just a building or a budget, but the character and ambition of an institution itself.”
Welcoming the endowment, Dr. Devi Shetty, Chairperson, Board of Governors, IIM Bangalore, said, “Transformative endowments, exemplified by the support from the Tata Trusts, are fundamental to setting institutes of national importance such as IIM Bangalore firmly on a path of global leadership. We are committed to nurturing talent at the undergraduate level and creating a pipeline of thinkers who can engage with the challenges of a data-driven world.”
Reflecting on the partnership, Mr. Siddharth Sharma, CEO, Tata Trusts, said, “At the Tata Trusts, we seek to nurture initiatives that are both ambitious in vision and grounded in realities they aim to address. Supporting IIM Bangalore, as it extends its tradition of academic rigour and excellence to undergraduate education, reflects our belief, that investing in knowledge and in the individuals who will shape India’s future, is among the most meaningful things we can do.”
Elaborating on the academic design, Professor. U Dinesh Kumar, Director-in-Charge, IIM Bangalore said, “We have designed programmes that not only equip students with technical proficiencies, but enable young minds to ask better questions, interpret complexity and lead with evidence. The support from the Tata Trusts allows us to invest deeply in faculty, research infrastructure and campus environment, thereby contributing to a state-of-the-art learning ecosystem focused on India’s developmental priorities and committed to strengthening global capabilities”
