UPES collaborates with Salesforce to Build India's Next Generation of AI Talent

• First-of-its-kind collaboration to co-create a B.Tech Computer Science Engineering program with specialisation in Data Science, and a dedicated Salesforce Academia Centre of Excellence
• Students will gain access to Trailhead-powered learning, industry-recognised certifications, and hands-on access to enterprise technologies from day one

NEW DELHI: UPES, a multidisciplinary university and one of India’s leading institutions for future-focused education, today announced a collaboration with Salesforce, the world's #1 AI CRM. As part of the collaboration, the university will launch an industry-first B.Tech Computer Science Engineering (CSE) program with a specialisation in Data Science, developed jointly with Salesforce to equip students with in-demand AI, data, and enterprise technology skills.

Central to the collaboration is the establishment of a Salesforce Academia Centre of Excellence (CoE) at UPES, which will serve as a hub for AI skilling, developer certifications, applied research, faculty development, innovation projects, and industry engagement on Trailhead, the digital learning platform from Salesforce. The CoE will feature specialised labs and operate on a Train-the-Trainer model, ensuring faculty development keeps pace with the rapidly evolving AI and enterprise technology landscape. Students will gain hands-on experience with enterprise-grade platforms from the first year of the program, strengthening their readiness for the workplace.

Built on a Triple-C model — Co-create, Co-deliver and Co-certify — which goes beyond a traditional industry partnership. UPES and Salesforce have jointly developed a curriculum that integrates enterprise CRM technologies, AI applications, data platforms, analytics, and intelligent automation directly into the academic experience by enabling access to real-world enterprise platforms, including Agentforce Sales, Agentforce Service, Data 360, Tableau, and Agentforce, as integral components of the program. Students will graduate not only with a B.Tech degree but also with industry-recognised Salesforce certifications, equipping them with practical skills required to drive digital transformation in an AI-powered economy.

Students will have access to Salesforce's Education Cloud and Agentforce technologies from the first year of the program, enabling hands-on learning on enterprise-grade platforms. Students will also benefit from global certification opportunities, live industry projects, internship exposure, and participation in Salesforce learning communities. These experiences will provide practical exposure to real-world business and technology challenges while strengthening employability and industry readiness.

The collaboration builds on UPES’ vision of being the ‘University of Tomorrow’ and its transition into an ‘AI-First University’, where emerging technologies are embedded across curriculum, research, innovation, and industry engagement to prepare students for the future of work.

Prof. (Dr.) Abhishek Sinha, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Student Success), UPES, said, “At UPES, we believe that education must evolve as fast as the industries our graduates will enter. Our collaboration with Salesforce is rooted in a shared commitment to producing professionals who are genuinely ready to lead in an AI-driven economy, not just theoretically, but with certified, hands-on capability. What we are building with the Triple-C model and the Centre of Excellence is a foundation for the future—one that will expand across disciplines and set a national benchmark for university-industry co-creation.” 

Mankiran Chowhan, Managing Director at Salesforce India, said, “AI is fundamentally reshaping how we work, create, and innovate, making AI fluency a core capability for the workforce of the future. As India advances its ambition to become a global AI powerhouse, the focus must shift from simply adopting technology to building the talent that can harness it responsibly and at scale. Through our collaboration with UPES, we are reimagining how industry and academia can work together to prepare students for this new reality—combining foundational engineering education with hands-on experience in AI, data, and enterprise technologies. The Salesforce Academia Centre of Excellence will help create future-ready talent equipped to drive innovation, productivity, and growth across industries.” 

Together, UPES and Salesforce are creating a blueprint for how academia and industry can collaborate to build the AI-ready workforce that India's digital future demands.

For more information, please visit: www.upes.ac.in 

About UPES:

Established through the UPES Act, 2003, of the State Legislature of Uttarakhand, UPES is a top-ranked, UGC-recognised, private university. As per the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2025, the Ministry of Education, Government of India, UPES has been ranked 45 among universities, with a rank of 18 in Law, 36 in Management, and a rank of 43 in Engineering. As per the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026, UPES now stands in the 501-600 band globally and 5th in India, improving from 7th in 2025. Notably, in Research Quality, UPES jumped 57 positions in just one year to be ranked 299 globally. In addition to this, the university has been ranked the No.1 private university in academic reputation in India by the QS World University Rankings 2026. It is among the top 2% of universities in the world.

UPES has received 5 stars on Employability (placements) by the globally acclaimed QS Rating. 50+ faculty members from UPES feature among the world’s top 2% researchers as per the Stanford University list.

UPES offers graduate and postgraduate programs through its seven schools: School of Advanced Engineering, School of Computer Science, School of Design, School of Law, School of Business, School of Health Sciences & Technology, and School of Liberal Studies and Humanities. The UPES family includes 19100+ students, 1,500+ faculty and staff members, and a thriving community of 40000+ alumni that work across sectors in marquee brands like EY, KPMG, Bain and Co., McKinsey & Company, Capgemini, Google, Microsoft, Oracle, Nestle, ITC, Adani Power, ONGC, GMR, TCS, Wipro, Infosys, Amazon, Flipkart, Accenture, Deloitte and more.

About Salesforce

Salesforce helps organisations of any size become agentic enterprises—integrating humans, agents, apps, and data on a trusted, unified platform to unlock unprecedented growth and innovation.
Visit https://www.salesforce.com/in/ for more information.