TCS announces new doctorate funding program to drive quality academic research

Hyderabad, India – November 27, 2009 — Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), (BSE: TCS.BO, NSE: TCS.NS), a leading global IT services, business solutions and outsourcing firm, today announced a new program to encourage quality academic research and thereby increase the available faculty talent pool in India.

The company will fund 200 doctoral candidates over a period of five years to take up Phd programs in reputable academic institutions across the country. The “TCS Research Fellows” will pursue original research in various aspects of computer science. 40 doctoral or Phd candidates will be chosen as TCS Research Scholars every year from a number of reputable academic institutes through a process of selection conducted by TCS and the academic institutes.

Announcing the TCS Research Scholar Program on the sidelines of Sangam, TCS’ annual academic conclave, N Chandrasekaran, CEO and MD said, “At a time, when the introduction of new technologies are changing business models rapidly, there is an urgent need for more focused research to stay ahead of the learning curve. The TCS Research Scholars program will help enlarge the R&D agenda and encourage exploration of new ideas by funding candidates in doctorate programs”.

“TCS works with our academic partners through the year to examine ways of deepening our relationship. The TCS Research Scholars Program is a new initiative to take this engagement with academia to the next level, said Ajoy Mukherjee, Head Global HR. “By inducting 200 new Phd scholars into the academic eco-system over a period of five years, this initiative will also significantly enhance the pipeline of high quality faculty for colleges, apart from generating new ideas and honing research talent in the country.”

The new program will supplement existing TCS programs like the Academic Interface Program, which is a holistic initiative to enhance the quality of the emerging workforce across the globe by supporting students, faculty, institutes and government. The program engaged with 499 academic institutes in India and over 85 overseas during FY2009, conducting over 130 faculty development programs benefiting over 4,000 instructors and 400 workshops for over 52,000 students globally. Over 1300 students benefited from TCS internships and awards.

About Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, business solutions and outsourcing organisation that delivers real results to global businesses, ensuring a level of certainty no other firm can match. TCS offers a consulting-led, integrated portfolio of IT and IT-enabled services delivered through its unique Global Network Delivery Model, recognized as the benchmark of excellence in software development. A part of the Tata Group, India’s largest industrial conglomerate, TCS has over 140,000 of the world's best trained IT consultants in 42 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $6 billion for fiscal year ended 31 March 2009 and is listed on the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange in India.