THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major boost to its emergence as a knowledge and innovation hub, Thiruvananthapuram has been chosen to host one of India’s first university townships.
The initiative, proposed in the Union Budget 2026-27, envisages setting up five university townships in the vicinity of major industrial and logistics corridors across the country to strengthen collaboration among academia, industry and research.
As per the Centre’s plan, such academic zones will host multiple universities, colleges, research institutions, skill centres and residential complexes.
BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who revealed the city’s selection in a social media post, said the proposed township, along with the existing Thiruvananthapuram Research and Innovation Cluster (T-RIC), would create an innovation ecosystem that is “capable of transforming the lives of young Malayalis”.
In a post on X, Chandrasekhar said while T-RIC creates innovation, the proposed university township will create the ecosystem to scale it.
In 2025, eight of the country’s leading research institutions based in Thiruvananthapuram had come together to form T-RIC, a collaborative effort aimed at advancing interdisciplinary research in science and technology.
Project to help arrest students’ migration
The eight-member T-RIC includes: Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS), Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI), CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST), Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).
“Together, they (T-RIC and the university township) will connect our universities, research institutions, startups, industries, and the Vizhinjam port into one integrated innovation ecosystem,” Chadrasekhar said while thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for the initiative.
The project is expected to generate more high-paying jobs in technology, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, deep technology and research. It would also help startups in Thiruvananthapuram grow into global companies and help arrest the migration of students from Kerala.