When Samsung India launched IGNITE (Inspiring Growth & Nurturing Interns Towards Excellence) in 2017, the vision was simple yet powerful — to create a platform where young talent could learn, experiment, and contribute to real business challenges.

Ten years later, IGNITE has grown into one of Samsung India’s flagship talent development programmes, offering students from India’s leading B-schools an opportunity to gain hands-on corporate experience while working alongside some of the brightest minds in the industry.

For the IGNITE 2026 cohort, the experience was marked by ownership, collaboration and the opportunity to make meaningful contributions to the business from day one.

“As we celebrate 10 years of IGNITE, we are proud of the community of young leaders that the programme has helped nurture over the years. What began as an internship initiative has evolved into a powerful platform for learning and development. Every year, IGNITE brings fresh perspectives into Samsung while giving students an opportunity to work on real business challenges and create meaningful impact. The success of the programme lies not only in the projects delivered, but in the confidence, skills and experiences that participants carry forward into their careers,” said Rishabh Nagpal, Head of People Team, Samsung India.

For Pratik Panda from XLRI Jamshedpur who interned with the B2B team, the experience reinforced the importance of staying connected to market realities.

” The work meant speaking with people in the field, reading market signals, and turning what I learned into something tangible for the business. It taught me that good strategy lives in the details, not above them. I’m grateful to have contributed to real work on a real product, and to have a team that trusted me with it,” he said.

For Vaibhav Aggarwal, Department of Management Studies, IIT Delhi the internship offered a front-row view into how large organizations operate and collaborate.

“This opportunity provided me with valuable exposure to enterprise strategy, cross-functional collaboration, governance mechanisms, and large-scale B2B execution,” he said.

Working on strengthening Samsung’s General Trade channel gave Karen Tresa Philip from XLRI Jamshedpur an opportunity to combine analytics with business problem-solving.

“This rewarding learning experience focused on understanding and strengthening the General Trade channel. It gave me the opportunity to work closely with data, business stakeholders, and on-ground teams, helping me develop a more analytical and structured approach to problem-solving. I gained valuable insights into sales operations and channel management while learning how large organizations drive business impact. I leave the experience with new skills, greater confidence, and a deeper appreciation for continuous learning,” she said.

Bhagyasree V S from NMIMS, highlighted how the internship helped bridge the gap between academic concepts and real-world business execution.

“I got a unique opportunity to translate classroom learning into meaningful business impact. Working on a strategic project helped me develop a stronger understanding of data-driven decision-making, stakeholder management, and business problem-solving. The experience offered valuable exposure to a fast-paced corporate environment while encouraging ownership, collaboration, and continuous learning. I am grateful for the mentorship and insights gained throughout this journey,” she said.

The supportive culture at Samsung left a lasting impression on Krishnanshu Sharma from IIM Lucknow.

“It was a very welcoming opportunity for me. My team and manager were patient and understanding, helping me through tasks whenever I felt stuck and giving me room for taking bold initiatives. I am very grateful for this experience,” he said.

While each intern worked on unique projects across different business functions, a common thread ran through their experiences — trust, ownership, mentorship, collaboration and the freedom to contribute meaningfully from day one.

These experiences reflect the core philosophy that has defined IGNITE over the past decade: empowering young talent to learn by doing, think boldly, and create meaningful impact.

As the programme enters its second decade, the mission remains unchanged — empowering young talent with the opportunities, mentorship and experiences they need to transform potential into impact.

For the Class of 2026, the internship may have come to an end, but their IGNITE journey is only just beginning.

Hydraulic work-stations at the new SRI Noida office

Samsung, India’s largest consumer electronics brand, is planning to hire around 1,000 engineers for its R&D institutes across India that include Samsung R&D Institute Bangalore, Samsung R&D Institute Noida, Samsung R&D Institute Delhi and Samsung Semiconductor India Research in Bengaluru.

These young engineers will join in 2023 and will work on new-age technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep learning, Image Processing, IoT, Connectivity, Cloud, Big Data, Business Intelligence, Predictive Analysis, Communication Networks, System on a Chip (SoC) and Storage Solutions.

The Library at SRI Delhi

Samsung will recruit engineers from multiple streams such as Computer Science and allied branches (AI/ML/Computer Vision/VLSI etc.), Information Technology, Electronics, Instrumentation, Embedded Systems and Communication Networks. In addition, it will also be hiring from streams such as Mathematics & Computing and Software Engineering.

“Strengthening their focus on innovation and cutting-edge technology, Samsung’s R&D centres aim to hire new talent from India’s top engineering institutes who will work on breakthrough innovations, technologies, products and designs, including India-centric innovations, that enrich people’s lives. This will further our vision of Powering Digital India,” said Sameer Wadhawan, Head, Human Resources, Samsung India.

The Music room at SRI Bangalore

This hiring season, Samsung R&D centres will hire around 200 engineers from top IITs such as IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Bombay, IIT Roorkee, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kanpur, IIT Guwahati and IIT BHU, among others. They have also offered over 400 Pre Placement Offers (PPOs) to students at the IITs and other top institutions.

Samsung research centres in India have filed over 7,500 patents in areas such as multi-camera solutions, televisions, digital applications, 5G, 6G and ultra-wideband wireless communications protocol. Many of these patents have been commercialized in Samsung flagship Galaxy smartphones, smartwatches, network equipment and digital applications, among others.

Over the years, Samsung R&D centres in India have built a strong culture of patent filing. At Samsung R&D Institute, Bangalore, for instance, a significant number of patent filers are first-time inventors in emerging domains such as 5G, AI, ML, IoT, camera & vision technologies. With this the R&D centre has emerged as the number one patent filer in India for inventions made in India and first filed in India and also won the National IP Award 2021 & 2022.