Mumbai, June 12: Mphasis,, a global AI-led, platform-driven technology solutions provider, announced that it has been conferred with the Tech Pioneer Award at the IIT Madras Technology Summit 2026 held in New Delhi recently. The recognition was awarded for Mphasis’ support towards establishing the Mphasis Centre for Quantum Information, Communication and Computing (MCQuICC) at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras.
This award marks a significant milestone in the strategic collaboration between the Mphasis F1 Foundation and IIT Madras to advance quantum technology research and innovation in India. Established through a five-year CSR partnership spanning 2022–2027, the initiative is focused on strengthening India’s capabilities in quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum information sciences. The collaboration has also facilitated the development of a dedicated quantum research lab at IIT Madras, further enhancing the institute’s capabilities in advanced quantum research and experimentation.
Since the signing of the partnership in 2022, it has made significant headway in advanced research, innovation, and talent development in quantum technologies through the MCQuICC at Indian Institute of Technology Madras. The centre not only has released multiple research publications, but also worked closely on optimization problems with direct industry relevance, including aircraft maintenance scheduling, electric vehicle charging optimization, and passenger re-routing. In addition, IITM CODE has supported the upskilling of students from Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) across three cohorts, helping prepare them for careers in quantum computing and related technologies.
“We are honored to receive the Tech Pioneer Award at the IIT Madras Technology Summit 2026. This recognition reflects our strong collaboration with IIT Madras and shared commitment to advancing India’s quantum technology ecosystem. Through MCQuICC, we remain focused on driving research, nurturing talent, and enabling real-world quantum applications that support India’s leadership in the global quantum landscape,” said Deepa Nagraj, Senior Vice President and Global Head of ESG and CSR, Sparkle Innovation Ecosystem and Communications, Mphasis.
“Our partnership with Mphasis, has played an important role in strengthening industry-academia collaboration in advancing frontier technologies such as quantum sciences and building India’s growing quantum research ecosystem. Through the Mphasis Centre for Quantum Information, Communication and Computing, this collaboration has enabled meaningful progress in advanced research, innovation, and talent development in quantum sciences. It is encouraging to see industry and academia come together with a shared vision to create long-term impact,” said Prof Ashwin Mahalingam, Dean – Alumni and Corporate Relations, IIT Madras
Aligned with the National Quantum Mission, the partnership aims to bridge foundational quantum research with scalable industrial applications. Through the Centre for Quantum Information, Communication and Computing (CQuICC), researchers are advancing work in Quantum Information and Quantum Machine Learning (QML), with applications across transportation logistics, financial risk mitigation, molecular chemistry, pipeline defect detection, and protein folding. The initiative currently supports over 20 researchers and has enabled over 30 research patents/publications, contributing to India’s growing deep-tech innovation ecosystem. The initiative has also enabled access to advanced Quantum Processing Units (QPUs), supporting research in quantum error correction, shot estimation, and next-generation quantum algorithms.
As part of its long-term vision, the programme supports specialised scholarships for PhD scholars and post-doctoral researchers while also expanding access to deep-tech education through online certification programmes designed to nurture future quantum scientists and engineers.
The recognition reinforces Mphasis’ continued commitment to leveraging innovation, research, and purposeful collaboration to contribute towards India’s emerging deep-tech ecosystem. By bringing together academic excellence and industry foresight, the Mphasis–IIT Madras partnership is helping shape a robust sovereign quantum ecosystem and positioning India as a global leader in the emerging quantum era.