Munjal Birmingham City University Centre of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MBCIE) opens its Campus in Ludhiana 

Ludhiana, April 26, 2022:: The new campus of the Munjal Birmingham City University Centre of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MBCIE) was inaugurated in Ludhiana today.  A joint venture of the Munjal family sponsored BCM Foundation and Birmingham City University (BCU), the facility was inaugurated by Professor Philip Plowden, Vice Chancellor, BCU, in the presence of Professors Julian Beer, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research, Innovation and Enterprise) and Peter Francis, Deputy Vice Chancellor(Academic) of BCU, and Yogesh Munjal, Sunil Kant Munjal, Vijay Munjal and Suresh Munjal, Trustees of the BCM Foundation. 
 
The campus has been set up to transform the higher education space in Punjab as well as to boost the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the region.  Spread over 22,000 square feet, the facility has been equipped with world-class infrastructure including academic areas, lecture theatres, conference halls, labs, an incubation centre, and a learning resource centre. Staffed with highly accomplished and renowned faculty from Birmingham City University, the courses and skilling programs have been designed using MBCIE’s innovative STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) approach. Through this facility, engineering and non-engineering graduates, local start-ups, and independent as well as next generation entrepreneurs from business families will have the opportunity to reskill and upskill themselves in the areas of industrial technology and innovation, with a special focus on e-mobility.
 
Commenting on the opening of the new building, Sunil Kant Munjal, BCM Foundation stated, “This is an important milestone for us in our journey towards providing world-class higher education in the region and fostering local entrepreneurship and innovation. We are honoured to have our partners from Birmingham City University join us on this occasion today. Today, higher education in Punjab finds itself at the crossroads with many students seeking to study and then immigrating to other countries in search of better opportunities. Additionally, the state of Punjab is also home to one of largest ecosystems of entrepreneurs and automotive
 
component manufacturers in the world but is it still characterized by low levels of innovation and technology absorption. Through this facility, our aim is to redesign the higher education offering using the STEAM approach and create more meaningful student outcomes. We want to create a platform for the ecosystem to come together, discuss and develop opportunities to scale up, perform R&D, practice innovation and re-visit business models necessary in a rapidly changing world. In the long term, our vision is to meet the growing innovation needs of industrial enterprises in the state and help local innovators become competitive in the global business landscape.”
 
Speaking about the new facility, Professor Philip Plowden, Vice Chancellor, Birmingham City University, said, “Today, India has one of the largest SMBs ecosystems and is also a leading player in the global automotive industry. This has been aided by a vast and growing talent pool of engineers, graduates, experienced professionals and more recently, start-ups and entrepreneurs. With e-mobility gaining significant momentum around the world, we believe that India is well poised to disrupt this sector. We are delighted to support BCM foundation in its endeavour to build, nurture and retain highly specialised and skilled talent in Punjab and surrounding regions. We believe that this new facility will equip local entrepreneurs with technical knowledge and know-how, giving them a distinct advantage in the global industry, especially the EV domain.” 
 
The new building will be operational immediately post the inauguration and will be central to the academic, industrial innovation and Incubation Centre activities of MBCIE.