New Delhi: Global Capability Centre (GCC) NatWest Group on Monday announced a partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, through its Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT), to strengthen collaboration between industry and academia through research and pilot projects. 

NatWest Group India said the tie‑up with IIT Delhi’s class academic and research community will explore joint innovation programs, pilot initiatives and industry‑led research across Artificial Intelligence, Fintech, cybersecurity and other emerging technologies.

As FITT’s first partnership with a global bank, the partnership will support stronger collaboration through joint programs involving researchers, startups and students. The partnership will focus on applying academic research to real business challenges, creating opportunities for NatWest colleagues and students to contribute to new ideas and research to support customers, the firm said in a release.

“Working with leading universities like IIT Delhi helps us to shape the next generation of technology talent and the direction of innovation, strengthens our long‑term ability to keep evolving, and supports our work to make banking simpler, safer and more effective for our customers,” said Scott Marcar, Chief Information Officer, NatWest Group.

Ruchika Panesar, Country Head, India and Chief Digital and Information Officer, Group Functions, NatWest Group, said that India is a strategic engine for NatWest’s technology, innovation and future growth, powered by the depth and quality of talent here.

"Partnerships like this with IIT Delhi help us strengthen our talent pipeline and deepen our engagement with the academic and startup ecosystem, while accelerating innovation in customer experiences, technology, data and AI,” Panesar added.

Dr. Nikhil Aggarwal from FITT-IIT, Delhi, said that the collaboration creates a powerful model of industry-academia collaboration where innovation moves beyond labs into scalable solutions, while nurturing talent that is ready to solve complex global challenges.