The University of Birmingham and Tesco Bengaluru are joining forces to create postgraduate study programmes in data science and artificial intelligence.

Sumit Mitra, CEO, Tesco Business Services and Tesco Bengaluru, and the University of Birmingham Vice-Chancellor & Principal Professor Adam Tickell today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore a strategic partnership that will create education and research partnerships.

The partnership will see University experts designing and delivering educational programmes for the colleagues of Tesco Bengaluru. The programmes could range from training in specific professional areas to formal postgraduate qualifications.

Tesco Bengaluru will also explore opportunities for suitably qualified Birmingham students to join placements at the company’s data-science laboratories in India. The company’s data-science experts will also offer guest lectures to Birmingham staff and students – broadening their understanding of academic trends with joint seminars and events.

The partnership agreement was reached during a visit to the Tesco Bengaluru campus by Professor Adam Tickell, who commented: “The University of Birmingham is a global ‘civic’ university and is committed to forging meaningful education and research partnerships in India. We have been named the most targeted university by the UK’s top 100 graduate employers, according to a report in 2021. This partnership is a testament to our strong links with industry which will support our education, research, and employability agenda.

“Our education programmes will offer TESCO colleagues great career development opportunities, whilst there are many potential research collaborations that can provide a greater understanding of data science and artificial intelligence challenges. The partnership also gives our students the opportunity to gain invaluable experience working alongside TESCO’s experts.”

Postgraduate study programmes will be delivered by a combination of remote technology and Birmingham academics visiting TESCO’s data science teams.

Sumit Mitra, CEO, Tesco Business Services and Tesco Bengaluru said ““At Tesco, we are deeply committed towards driving a culture of learning and development for our colleagues. Industry-academia partnerships play a crucial role in this endeavour. This strategic partnership with the University of Birmingham will usher in a new beginning of our shared commitment to delivering a rich learning experience for our colleagues and the students at the University. In addition, this collaboration will further play a critical role in empowering our colleagues and the student community to thrive in a fast-evolving employment landscape”.

The University of Birmingham has a number of significant partnerships in India, underpinned by its India Institute which aims to increase the visibility, impact and coherence of Birmingham’s engagement in the country.

Tesco in Bengaluru was established in 2004 to enable standardization and build centralized capabilities and competencies, making the experience better for our millions of customers worldwide and simpler for over 360,000 colleagues. Spread across 15.6 acres campus, Tesco Bengaluru has 4000+ colleagues across Tesco Bengaluru and Tesco Technology.

James Godber, Deputy Head at the British Deputy High Commission Bengaluru, commented: “Data science is one of the fastest growing fields in the world and is transforming our future. I am delighted that this partnership between the University of Birmingham and Tesco Bengaluru will enhance the many existing linkages between the UK and India and ultimately benefit both countries.”