Jio Institute born out of a dream I shared with Mukesh to redefine higher education in India, says Nita Ambani

New Delhi: The Jio Institute, a multi-disciplinary higher education centre, is set to welcome its first batch of students for the first academic session to begin from 21 July. Ahead of it, the institute welcomed its founding batch of students at an inaugural programme held on Wednesday.

The programme was attended by students, parents, Jio Institute leadership and staff, faculty, members of the Reliance family, and leaders from industry and academia.

Speaking on the occasion, Nita Ambani, wife of Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of India’s most valuable company Reliance Industries Ltd, and who heads the philanthropic activities of the group, said, Jio Institute, a multi-disciplinary higher education institute, was “born out of a dream to redefine higher education in India”. She is also the founder chairperson of Reliance Foundation Institution of Education and Research.

“Jio Institute was born out of a dream I shared with my husband Mukesh, to redefine higher education in India, and carry forward the legacy of our founder, my father-in-law Shri Dhirubhai Ambani,” she said.

“Today marks a new beginning. An important milestone for Jio Institute, and for each one of you,” she said while addressing students at the beginning of the academic session. “Every batch of an institution is special, as they contribute to the growth and cultural fabric of these institutions. But the first one is always extra special.”

“And it is his vision to build an institution that will empower young Indians, and young people from across the globe, to develop solutions for a sustainable and better future for mankind,” she said, adding, “An institution that will prepare the next generation of global leaders, who will significantly contribute to the advancement of India and the world.”

Nita Ambani said Jio Institute endeavours to create an environment that is a fertile ground for intellectual discovery and development, encourages curiosity and a robust exchange of ideas and enables practical experimentation for real-life solutions.

“As the first batch of Jio Institute, you will take the first-ever step into an extraordinary future that we hope to build together. A collaborative setting for personal growth, and a research-oriented culture that can catalyse national growth,” she said.

At Jio Institute, students will experience a unique learning environment, with a focus on research and innovation, and a global community of academicians and industry leaders, she said.

“Class of 2023, each one of you has the potential and responsibility of shaping not just your country’s future, but the future of our planet! So make every moment matter, and every day count. Learn with passion. Imagine without fear. Dive into our state-of-the-art labs and libraries. Enjoy the world-class sporting facilities,” she added.

Founding batch

Jio Institute is starting off with two inaugural post-graduate programmes in artificial intelligence and data science and digital media and marketing communications. The first batch has a healthy mix of geographic and gender diversity. The batch of 120 students include people who hail from 19 Indian states and four countries – South Africa, Bhutan, Nepal and Ghana.

The batch comprises students from academically diverse disciplines like Engineering, Science, Arts, Commerce, Mass Media, and Management Studies/Business Administration. The founding class possess an average work experience of about four years in diverse fields such as Advertising, Automotive, Banking, Construction, Digital Media, Edtech, Fintech, Healthcare, Information Technology, Logistics, Micro Finance, Oil & Gas, Pharma, Telecom, Government, NGO and so on.

The faculty

Both the one-year post-graduate programmes are being taught by renowned faculty from top global institutions and industry. Jio Institute has tied up with renowned global educational institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Nanyang Technological University, to bring onboard experts for various subjects.

Dr R A Mashelkar, Padma Vibhushan, Former Director General, CSIR, Government of India, is the Chancellor, Dr Dipak Jain, Former Dean, Kellogg School of Management, USA, is the Vice-Chancellor of Jio Institute and Dr Guruswami Ravichandran, Former Otis Booth Leadership Chair of Applied Science & Engineering, California Institute of Technology (Caltech) USA has recently joined as the Provost.

In both programmes, Jio Institute seeks to focus on cultivating essential life skills through its holistic learning module and has planned for a study abroad module during which students will get exposure to a renowned global university. Along with these, Jio Institute will lay emphasis on application-based learning through capstone projects.

The institute

Located in Ulwe, Navi Mumbai, the Jio Institute is built on an 800-acre land parcel. Reliance Foundation is estimated to have spent Rs 1,500 crore in setting it up. It is a multi-disciplinary higher education institute set up as a philanthropic initiative by Reliance Industries Ltd and Reliance Foundation.

In July 2018, The Ministry of Education issued a Letter of Intent to set up Jio Institute as a Greenfield Institute under UGC (Institutions of Eminence Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2017.

With input from agencies

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