PNN
New Delhi [India], February 25: Rishihood University formally announced the Sajjan Agarwal School of Technology (SASTech), India's first endowed deep-tech school dedicated to advancing the nation's technology sovereignty. This event was attended by distinguished leaders, including Suresh Prabhu, Former Union Cabinet Minister and Chancellor, Rishihood University, Sajjan Agarwal, Chairman & CEO at GreenHawk Corporation, Board of Founders, Rishihood University, Shobhit Mathur, Vice Chancellor, Rishihood University and Sahil Aggarwal, Co-Founder & CEO, Rishihood University.
Supported by a ₹100 crore philanthropic commitment from seasoned Entrepreneur Sajjan Agarwal, this initiative reflects a growing trend in higher education in favour of collective philanthropic institution building across India.
A key highlight of the announcement is the inauguration of the AI Studio, equipped with three high-performance GPU workstations procured from NVIDIA, enabling students to work on real-world AI workloads, model training, and deep-learning experimentation on campus.
The event also featured:
Release of the SASTech White Paper, outlining its academic philosophy and deep-tech roadmap
Announcement of SASTech as a title sponsor of the Pan IIT 2026 Meet in Los Angeles, USA
Demonstrations from the Robotics Lab and Human Augmentation Lab
Campus tour showcasing Rishihood's interdisciplinary tech ecosystem
Press briefing and Q&A session
Founded with a strategic vision to strengthen India's capabilities in frontier technologies, SASTech is established with a clear mandate: to build systems-level thinkers capable of shaping India's technological future and address national-scale challenges in artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity, quantum computing, and biotechnology.
Senior adjunct faculty and collaborators from leading global institutions including Dartmouth, Penn State, and the Max Planck system also shared statements, reflecting SASTech's strong international academic engagement. Prasad Jayanti, Professor of Computer Science at Dartmouth College, joined the event virtually, and committed to teaching a month-long ivy style course on reasoning for computer science at Rishihood University.
The School currently offers two industry-integrated undergraduate programmes in Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence (CS&AI) and Computer Science & Data Science (CS&DS). These programmes integrate live industry problems, advanced research exposure, and hands-on systems engineering from the first year. SASTech's infrastructure includes advanced laboratories focused on:
Robotics and Autonomous Systems
Human Augmentation
AI and Data Systems
The School has onboarded Stanford-trained computer science PhDs, senior industry practitioners, and deep-tech researchers across full-time and visiting roles. These experts contribute to curriculum design, applied research, mentorship, and industry-linked projects.
Seasoned entrepreneur and philanthropist, Sajjan Agarwal, who has made a landmark donation towards the establishment of the Sajjan Agarwal School of Technology (SASTech) at Rishihood University, said,
"The endowed model reflects a generational commitment to deep capability building. If we are serious about technology sovereignty and Viksit Bharat 2047, we must invest in institutions that build deep capability, not just surface-level skills. Technology is power, but power without values is dangerous. That is why SASTech, rooted in Rishihood's value-based education, is designed as a long-term commitment to research, systems innovation, and frontier technologies."
Prof. (Dr.) Shobhit Mathur, Vice Chancellor, Rishihood University, emphasised the academic philosophy underpinning the initiative.
"In alignment with the Prime Minister's vision of building and innovating in India, our goal is to create engineers who not only understand algorithms, but can design end-to-end solutions with societal, economic, and ethical awareness. With a ₹100 crore commitment over the next 10 years for SASTech, we are building long-term capacity for deep-tech research, labs, and innovation."
Mr Sahil Aggarwal, Co-Founder & CEO, Rishihood University, spoke about the announcement as part of a broader institutional ambition and mentioned,
"India carries tremendous positive momentum, and there is a structured opportunity to empower young Indians to build, lead, and innovate in frontier technologies. The trust that Sajjan Agarwal and our supporters have placed in Rishihood means everything to us. This investment deepens our research capabilities and accelerates our ambition to create a future-ready institution that contributes meaningfully to India's technological and national growth."
Through an interdisciplinary ecosystem, strong global partnerships, and an industry-integrated curriculum, SASTech seeks to redefine technology education in India, moving from coding proficiency to systems innovation, deep-tech research, and sovereign capability building.
This launch marks a significant step toward strengthening India's position as a global leader in frontier technologies.
About Rishihood University:
Rishihood University is reimagining higher education as a force for national transformation. It shapes learners for personal growth, professional excellence, and public impact in an industry-integrated, values-first learning environment. With an interdisciplinary approach that integrates technology, entrepreneurship, design, mental wellness, and public policy; Rishihood aims to create a new generation of conscious professionals.
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