New Delhi: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar has partnered with leading technology solution providers for education Excelsoft Technologies to set up 'Professor Dhananjaya Lab for Education Design and Creative Learning' aimed at combining academic research and industry expertise for fostering innovation in EdTech.

The lab named after MH Dhananjaya, an educationist and chairman of Excelsoft Technologies, will conduct in-depth product research to re-imagine learning and assessments in the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

According to IIT Ropar's CSE head Sudarshan Iyengar, who will serve as the principal investigator, the lab will build proprietary or indigenous AI models on top of the existing learning and assessment products to boost their functionality, making them more robust and scalable.

"The lab will also enable blue-skies research for discovery of new ideas, principles or technologies to further enhance the education and learning ecosystem. It will further bolster IIT Ropar's research capabilities and enable us to explore the transformative impact of AI in education and learning," Iyengar said.

D Sudhanva, the founder and CEO of Excelsoft Technologies, emphasised the significance of the collaboration, saying it will provide the company with an access to a top-class research ecosystem, enriching its journey as an EdTech product and service company.

"By combining our industry expertise with the academic excellence of IIT Ropar, we aim to make India a frontrunner in developing world-class, cutting-edge EdTech products, revolutionising the teaching and learning process across the globe," Sudhanva said.

According to officials, Prashanth H M - head of corporate strategy, Adarsh MS - vice president of growth and strategy, Sridhar Joies - associate director of Learning & Proctoring Solutions and lead AI strategist Rahul Gautham from Excelsoft Technologies will contribute as administrative and research leads.

The research team at IIT Ropar will comprise PhD scholars, MTech, BTech students and a dedicated staff to manage the lab.