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TechAlva's Engineering College launches India's first IBM AI lab at an engineering college
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Alva's Institute of Engineering and Technology (AIET) in Moodbidri, India, launched an artificial intelligence lab in collaboration with IBM Software Labs on July 22, 2026. This is the first-ever IBM AI Lab in an engineering college in India. The lab, powered by IBM watsonx.ai, watsonx Orchestrate, and AI-assisted developer tools, aims to strengthen industry-academia collaboration and provide students hands-on exposure to enterprise-grade AI technologies. IBM experts began a two-day training program covering foundation models, prompt engineering, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), AI agents, and workflow orchestration. IBM India Programme Director Ratheesh Muraleedharan called it IBM's first university-level AI program in the country, emphasizing curiosity and adaptability as key differentiators. Alva's Education Foundation Managing Trustee M. Vivek Alva highlighted that AI should enhance human potential, not replace it. The lab will serve as a center of excellence for innovation, research, and skill development.
Source report
Updated - July 22, 2026 07:44 pm IST | MANGALURU
By The Hindu Bureau
IBM India Programme Director and Leader of watsonx, Ratheesh Muraleedharan, speaks at the launch of IBM AI Lab at Alva’s Institute of Engineering and Technology on Wednesday at Moodbidri. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Alva’s Institute of Engineering and Technology (AIET), Moodbidri, launched an artificial intelligence (AI) lab on Wednesday, developed in collaboration with IBM Software Labs.
According to a release from AIET, this is the first-ever IBM AI Lab in an engineering college in India. The lab has been established with the objective of strengthening industry-academia collaboration and providing students access to enterprise-grade AI technologies.
Key Features of the Lab
- Powered by IBM watsonx.ai, watsonx Orchestrate, and AI-assisted developer tools
- Offers hands-on exposure to enterprise AI platforms and real-world applications
- Will serve as a centre of excellence for innovation, research, and skill development
Training Programme
IBM experts have begun a two-day training programme covering:
- Foundation models
- Prompt engineering
- Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)
- AI agents
- Workflow orchestration
- AI-assisted software development
Remarks from Dignitaries
Ratheesh Muraleedharan, IBM India Programme Director and Leader of watsonx, said the initiative is IBM’s first university-level AI programme in the country. “AI has democratised knowledge by making powerful tools accessible to everyone. The key differentiators will be curiosity, adaptability, and the ability to solve meaningful problems,” he said.
M. Vivek Alva, Managing Trustee of Alva’s Education Foundation, said AI should be viewed as a means to enhance human potential rather than replace it. “AI, when combined with human common sense, can create powerful solutions. Technological shifts have historically transformed the nature of jobs rather than eliminated them, and AI will be no different,” he said.
Attendees
- Manoj B. Shetty, AIET alumnus and AI specialist at IBM India
- Peter Fernanadies, Principal, AIET
- Manjunath Kotari, Head, Computer Science Department
- Others
Published - July 22, 2026 07:43 pm IST
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Alva's Engineering College Launches AI Lab in Collaboration with IBM Software Labs