IIT Kharagpur Outreach Network Launches AI Learning Centre in Texas

The Texas AI Learning Centre, established in collaboration with the IIT Kharagpur Outreach Network, has been inaugurated at the Tagore Centre in Houston to advance AI education, professional skills and industry-focused solutions, while strengthening India-US technology cooperation.

The centre was launched alongside celebrations marking India’s 80th Independence Day and IIT Kharagpur’s 75th anniversary. India’s Consul General in Houston DC Manjunath, Tagore Centre Foundation co-founder and IIT Kharagpur Foundation President Dr Asoke Deysarkar, and IIT Kharagpur Director Prof Suman Chakraborty jointly inaugurated the facility.

Manjunath highlighted the expanding India-US technology partnership, saying AI cooperation could create new avenues for institutional collaboration. He expressed hope that the initiative would eventually grow into a full-fledged overseas IIT Outreach Centre. Prof Chakraborty envisaged a broader Pan-IIT platform that could connect alumni, researchers, academic institutions and global industry stakeholders. The platform could offer professional development programmes and help companies address complex technology challenges.

IIT Kharagpur's role will extend beyond training and outreach, with the Houston centre potentially serving as a bridge between its faculty, researchers, alumni and US technology ecosystem. The institute also has academic links with Texas A&M University (TAMU), including student-exchange and short-term research opportunities. The centre began operations with a two-day AI certificate bootcamp, coordinated by Texas A&M University professor Dr Debyajoti Banerjee. The collaboration could provide a foundation for deeper academic engagement, including joint research, faculty interaction and student projects.

Over the longer term, the centre could create opportunities for India-US research partnerships and startups, particularly in areas such as AI for healthcare, manufacturing, energy, engineering and scientific computing. Researchers and entrepreneurs could benefit from cross-border mentorship, industry networks, technology validation and potential commercialisation in both markets. The inauguration drew IIT alumni, technology professionals, Indian diaspora leaders and representatives from Harris County Commissioner Lesley Briones’s office, highlighting the centre’s potential as a knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurship bridge between India and the US.