Bringing classrooms closer to communities, the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Raipur and Tata Steel Foundation (TSF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work together in the areas of social impact, public policy, sustainability, and inclusive development.
The partnership aims to strengthen education, research, and practice through experiential learning, knowledge creation, and capacity building for students, professionals, and development practitioners. IIM Raipur is a leading public management institute, while Tata Steel Foundation is the social development arm of Tata Steel, working across areas such as education, health, livelihoods, environment, social justice, and community development.
The partnership was formulated with the signing and exchange of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Tata Steel Foundation and IIM Raipur. Present on the occasion were Dr Sanjeev Prashar, Director-in-Charge; Dr Saroj Pani, Dean – Academics; Dr Navneeth Bhatnagar, Area Chair Strategy; Dr Rahul Hiremath, Dr Suneetha S, and Dr Sandeep S from the MSI Team; Sourav Roy, CEO, Tata Steel Foundation and Dr Vinayak Kishore, Consultant Public Policy and Research.
Under the collaboration, both institutions will co-design courses, immersive learning programmes, and community engagement initiatives. The partnership will also focus on joint research, knowledge products, and platforms that support indigenous community representation. A key component of the MoU is the Unurum – Social Immersion Programme, which will provide IIM Raipur students with first-hand exposure to grassroots development work. The collaboration also encourages continuous knowledge exchange, with both institutions sharing expertise to strengthen each other’s capacities.
Tata Steel Foundation has, over the years, engaged in several intellectual collaborations with academic institutions like XLRI Jamshedpur, IIM Ranchi, IIM Raipur and Indian School of Business, Hyderabad. As part of these partnerships, TSF professionals now participate in co-creation and co-delivery of focused educational and knowledge-based programmes and content on topics related to social impact, public policy, management, strategy, among others.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Sanjeev Prashar, Director, IIM Raipur, said: “Through this collaboration, we seek to sensitise future leaders to societal realities, encourage meaningful engagement with communities, and foster decision-making that balances economic objectives with social responsibility. Such initiatives are critical in shaping leadership that is ethically rooted and development oriented.”
Adding his thoughts, Sourav Roy, CEO, Tata Steel Foundation, said: “This collaboration with IIM Raipur strengthens our shared commitment to embed societal perspectives within leadership and management education. By bringing together academic depth and grassroots experience, we aim to create meaningful learning journeys, generate relevant knowledge, and nurture future leaders who are aligned with grassroots realities. Going forward, this partnership will help build stronger impact ecosystems, encourage collaborative research, and scale learning models that contribute to inclusive development.”
