BITS Pilani’s endowment fund has crossed USD 54 million, 23 months after the institute set a USD 100 million target, Group Vice Chancellor V Ramgopal Rao said. The milestone reflects contributions from founders, chief executives, scientists, reunion batches and alumni-led companies in India and abroad, the university said.
More than 24 individual alumni and alumni batches have each pledged at least USD one million or more. Annual alumni giving reached a record ₹82 crore in the financial year 2025 to 2026, up 43% from the previous year and nearly 90 times the level recorded when the Alumni Relations Office was set up in 2017-18.
Cumulative alumni contributions stand at ₹256 crore, supporting initiatives across BITS campuses. Rao said the response to the USD 100 million endowment goal had been extraordinary and showed alumni faith in Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani and its future. He added that the money is already making a difference through new research centres, better laboratories, scholarships and support for young entrepreneurs.
Six new research centres have been established at Pilani, Goa and Hyderabad in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, clean energy, social and rural innovation, smart electronics manufacturing and advanced materials. Two more centres, focused on space technologies and AI diagnostics, are being established.
More than 300 scholarships are supported by alumni and corporate contributions, including 188 awarded to female students over the past two years. Twenty-five PhD scholars receive support, including 11 through the PhD DRIVE fellowship, which provides a monthly stipend of ₹60,000.
Five endowed chair professorships have also been established, along with awards recognising excellence in teaching and research, including awards for women faculty. Rao said the institute looks forward to reaching its endowment goal and creating more opportunities for students and faculty to do work relevant to India and the world.