Samsung R&D Institute India, Bangalore (SRI‑B), the company’s largest software R&D hub outside Korea, has once again dominated the Zinnov Awards, taking home four top honours at this year’s Confluence.

Three individuals from SRI-B were recognized for their exceptional track record as technologists and mentors. Roopa Sheshadri was honoured as one of the Next Generation Women Leaders for her contributions in mentoring and technological leadership. Dr. Raja Sekhara Reddy D. M. and Dr. Srinivas Soumitri Miriyala were chosen as Technical Role Models, marking SRI‑B’s continued excellence in nurturing technical leadership. This is the 11th year of SRI-B winning multiple awards at Zinnov Confluence, setting new industry standards.

At an organizational level, SRI-B was declared the sole winner of the “Great Place to Innovate” award, a recognition of its sharp innovation culture, a robust patent portfolio crossing 11,000 filings, and a thriving intrapreneurial ecosystem that fuels next-gen solutions.

These recent SRI-B accolades reflect a deliberate R&D strategy, led by strong leadership and unique innovation culture.

Zinnov Confluence 2025, the flagship industry forum centered on the theme “Limitless Leadership in the Age of AI”, brought together visionaries from across the globe to spotlight engineering excellence and industry-defining ideas. SRI-B stood tall among peers, further anchoring its legacy of impact-driven innovation.

“Our multiple wins at Zinnov Confluence reinforce our position as a global innovation engine, driving breakthroughs that matter. Every year in the last decade, we have been recognized for our unwavering commitment to the technology ecosystem. In this high-speed world of technology, SRI-B has always pioneered industry-first innovations that create a true real impact. We are happy and proud that our contributions are recognized consistently,” said Mohan Rao Goli, CVP and Managing Director, SRI-B.

SRI-B focuses on technologies around Communication Protocols, Multimedia (including Camera Solutions), AD Tech, Data Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence and IoT. The center has built end-to-end expertise in COEs through product management and UX Design thinking. The R&D center’s key focus is to create global product differentiation and solutions for the Indian market by identifying unique insights and deliver value to consumers.

In the 29 years since its foundation, SRI-B has developed several products and solutions for both the national and global market, with several ‘world’s firsts’ conceptualized and developed out of this R&D center. The company is also recognized as India’s #1 patent filer, with the highest number of patents in the country filed out of this R&D center.

Samsung R&D Institute Bangalore (SRI-B) and Samsung R&D Institute Noida (SRI-N) today launched the Startup Incubation Program 2023 where technology startups will collaborate with Samsung to bring innovative ideas to market.

Samsung India has continuously strived to be India’s true partner, bringing advancement through its innovative technologies. With a strong focus on research and development (R&D) to build meaningful innovations, Samsung Mobile Advance (SMA) 2023 is a Startup Incubation Program, driven by SRI-B.

SMA is a grant funding scheme for new proof-of-concept projects that are specifically tailored to Samsung Mobile technology. This program is not only an opportunity for Indian companies and organizations to gain Samsung’s support in the financial aspect, but the winners will also gain access to technical and project support to develop their ideas into reality. SMA is specifically designed for startups to collaborate with Samsung to gain an opportunity to develop their innovative ideas.

All you need to know about SMA

The Samsung Mobile Advance 2023 is an open call for project proposals from Indian companies and organizations, with three rounds of judging, including a Pitch Day event. The winning ideas will receive up to $50k in grant funding from Samsung, along with limited technical and project support and loan devices for a period of six months to enable the winning project ideas to be developed.

The proposals will gain exposure to a wide range of Samsung staff that will evaluate the ideas and select those that have the highest potential. After completion of the 6-month program, the developed Proof of Concept projects will be evaluated and considered by Samsung Mobile for further partnership opportunities. The ideas can vary from different technologies, like camera, wearable, sensors, ESG, audio & more.

With applications closing in March, the pitch day event is scheduled for May, followed by the announcement of selected companies in June, and the commencement of the program in July. The selected companies will be presenting their demos in February 2024.

The application process has already begun.

To get more information, mail startup.connect@samsung.com.

Samsung PRISM was started in 2020 and in the last two years, over 4,500 engineering students and 1,000 professors have worked with SRI-B engineers to deliver live projects successfully. In this time, student and professor teams have filed multiple patents along with SRI-B engineers and have published several research papers.

As part of the program, Samsung R&D Institute, Bangalore (SRI-B) collaborates with students and faculty at engineering colleges, giving them research as well as development projects (worklets) to be executed over four to six months.

Teams of students and professors work on live R&D projects in cutting edge technology areas such as Artificial Intelligence (including vision tech), Machine Learning, Internet of Things & Connected Devices and 5G networks. This has helped build capabilities among students that meet industry needs.

Students from engineering colleges that are in top positions of Government of India’s National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings from across the country have participated in the program so far.

“Samsung PRISM program is our contribution to developing an innovation mindset among the youth of India, building on the strengths of our academia and engineering student community. Working with Samsung, young students have got hands-on exposure to live projects of an R&D centre and professors have got more practical industry experience. This is making students industry-ready and is furthering our vision of Powering Digital India,” said Srimanu Prasad, Head of Tech Strategy, Samsung R&D Institute, Bangalore.

“Over the last two years, we have already seen strong results, with student teams filing patents and publishing technical papers in cutting edge domains,” Prasad added.

With the PRISM program, Samsung seeks to build a skilled workforce of future innovators in India. All students are given certificates by SRI-B on project completion, and so far over 300 teams have been recognized for their exceptional work and have been rewarded as well.

Each project is taken up by a team of three students and one professor, with a mentor from SRI-B who guides, trains them and conducts regular reviews. Each engineering college has multiple teams and students are selected based on a test conducted by SRI-B.

Students who have participated in the PRISM program said the collaborative environment has been very helpful. Through the program, they have been able to work on challenging problem statements and gain valuable insights on the workings of large companies in the industry. Professors said the program has helped them upgrade their technical skills and gain practical industry experience.

SRI-B, which is Samsung’s largest R&D facility outside of Korea, is focused on Communication Protocols, Multimedia (including Camera Solutions), AD Tech, Data Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence and IoT. The centre has built end-to-end expertise in COEs through product management and UX Design thinking. The R&D centre’s main objective is to develop global product differentiation and solutions for the Indian market by identifying unique insights and delivering value to consumers. So far, the R&D centre has filed over 3,500 patents in India and over 7,500 patents globally.

Samsung R&D Institute Bangalore (SRI-B) won the ER&D Organization of the Year Award and the Social Impact Solution of the Year Award at the first edition of the NASSCOM Engineering & Innovation Excellence Awards in 2021.

The ER&D Organization of the Year Award recognizes Global Capability Centers (GCCs) that are making a significant contribution to the Global ER&D operations in terms of portfolio transformation, technical talent development, establishing a next-gen center of excellence, and innovation contribution.

SRI-B, which is Samsung’s largest R&D facility outside Korea, won this award for its “research to commercialization” approach across multiple product lines such as smartphones, networks, and connected home appliances.

As a patent powerhouse, SRI-B’s contributions for the flagship devices through the centers of excellence for Wireless Communications, Multimedia, AI, and IoT have also been acknowledged. The jury also recognized SRI-Bs university collaborations and start-up engagements.

The Social Impact Solution of the Year Award recognized the recently developed Eyelike Platform that is part of the Samsung Galaxy Upcycling Program Under this program, Samsung repurposes older smartphones into medical diagnosis cameras, helping underserved populations in Vietnam, India, Morocco, and Papua New Guinea.

SRI-B has researched and developed the software for the EyeLike application comprising Fundus image capture mechanism (AF and MF), On-Device AI, UX software development and also providing the server support.
The unique and affordable diagnosis camera can screen patients for conditions that may lead to blindness, including diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration. EYELIKE is deployed in India through Aravind Eye Hospital and also across the globe in countries like Vietnam, Morocco, and Papua New Guinea.

Launched this year, the NASSCOM Engineering & Innovation Excellence Awards sought to provide a platform for the Indian ER&D community to showcase its exceptional capabilities to the world.

In 2021, SRI-B completed 25 successful years in India and reiterated its commitment to #PoweringDigitalIndia with a refreshed R&D strategy by engaging in cutting-edge research that will transform communities and make people’s lives better, while also promoting a strong ecosystem of startups and academia.

Set up in 1996, SRI-B has grown into an advanced R&D center for Samsung globally, with excellence in wireless communications, multimedia and image processing, artificial intelligence in vision, voice and text technologies, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Over the next five years, SRI-B to explore Multi-Device Intelligence, beyond 5G, Blockchain, and Data Science areas even as it continues to create strong differentiation for Samsung through innovations in camera technologies, artificial intelligence, and 5G.

SRI-B, which has created a strong culture of filing patents among its engineers over the last decade, will also expand Open Innovation with startups, students, and universities to help strengthen the innovation and startup ecosystem in the country.

It will drive this effort by scaling up its industry-academia program PRISM under which it has been working with engineering students and faculty on real-world research and development projects in cutting-edge technology areas. So far it has worked with close to 500 students in the country and some of these students have gone on to file patents along with Samsung engineers.

Samsung Digital Library will be implemented across 100 plus government schools of Karnataka wherein more than 2000 Samsung Galaxy Tab A and “e Education Content along with Training” will benefit nearly 25000 students.

Samsung Digital Library programme was inaugurated today in the presence of Mr. S Suresh Kumar, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education of Karnataka. Also present at the event were Mr. Heejoon Kang, Chief Financial Officer, SRI-B, and other Samsung executives.

Mr. S Suresh Kumar, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Government of Karnataka, said, “Our focus on strengthening the primary education system will be bolstered through this partnership with Samsung. Students at this age must get an experience of the latest technology to have a holistic development. The Samsung tablets will be an ideal way to engage these kids in an interactive manner and we hope this to be a fulfilling association.”

“At Samsung, education is a cause that is close to our heart. We are committed to help students learn and bridge the digital divide with our new initiative – Samsung Digital Library. Through this partnership with the state government, we are hopeful that the students can adopt more engaging methods of learning with new age technology,” Mr. Dipesh Shah, Managing Director at Samsung R&D Institute Bangalore, said.

Samsung Digital Library is a new corporate social responsibility initiative that has been introduced by SRI- B. The initiative will focus on providing quality digital knowledge and education in government schools of Karnataka.

In the first phase of the initiative, 20 tablets per school will be distributed across 50 Government schools of Tumakuru and Ramanagar. Tumakuru is also a ‘Smart City’, and this collaboration will further the government’s initiative towards digital education. The second phase is slated for the month of August this year.

Samsung has a strong partnership with the state of Karnataka and has been acknowledged for its sustainable efforts to transform the society through multiple initiatives towards community building. Since 2015, the CSR team at SRI-B has been active in carrying out various drives like the Notebook donation drive, building of a new school in Kembodi, solar lantern distribution and many such activities across Karnataka.

Karnataka is also the home to the world’s largest mobile experience center- Samsung Opera House and the biggest R&D centre of Samsung outside Korea. Samsung R&D Bangalore is a key innovation hub in Samsung. With the best of talent from India and overseas, this centre focusses on creating cutting edge technologies across multiple areas of Samsung’s business, that transform experiences of users both globally, as well as in local markets.

More than 500 bright and young minds from premier engineering institutes have recently joined SRI-B. These Magpies will undergo a rigorous training at the Research Institute for next two months.

“We hire best talent from top engineering colleges and management schools every year as we want the young minds to work with us and leverage their skills in creating technological breakthrough that can enrich the lives of our consumers,” said Sanjeev Prasad, Senior Director and Head of HR, SRI-B.

As part of their internship, the Magpies work on cutting edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT, 5G, communication protocols and multimedia among others. The Campus team kick starts the hiring process from May till December every year.

SRI-B has a tailor-made programme curated for the Magpies to acclimatize them with the workflow. An Intern Day is organized where they participate in different activities and get the feel of campus life once again. They interact with senior leadership and are given a chance to select their areas of technical expertise to further hone their skills. They are encouraged to participate in community services, or hobby activities such as photography, badminton, football and others.

Samsung believes in catching the Magpies young and encouraging them to put ideas into action. This helps groom them and bring forward the best talent of the country.

So far, students from three different classes were forced to sit in the same classroom for want of space.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Samsung R&D Institute, Bangalore (SRI-B) and the Department of Education, Government of Karnataka for the construction of the new campus at the school in February 2018.

The new campus has six classrooms and a new administrative block with the necessary school furniture. This building also has a power backup, rain water harvesting facility and a RO+UV water filter for students. The school, which was established in 1931, will now offer curriculum in both Kannada and English medium from Class I to Class VIII.

The new campus at the Kembodi Government Primary School in Karnataka’s Kolar district was inaugurated by Mr. N Mahesh, Honorable Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Government of Karnataka, Mr. Manjunath, District Collector, Kolar District, Mr. Dipesh Shah, Managing Director, SRI-B and Mr. Harry Heejoon Kang, Chief Financial Officer, SRI-B along with other dignitaries.

“At Samsung, education is a cause that is close to our heart and we strive to give back to the society. We are committed to helping students across the state learn and fulfill their dreams. Be it our ‘Make for India’ initiative or community centric voluntary activities, our core mission is to contribute and propel the growth and development of this region. This school is a step in the right direction,” said Mr. Dipesh Shah, Managing Director, SRI-B.

Samsung R&D Institute, Bangalore had last year collaborated with the Karnataka government to donate notebooks and pens to students in 450 government schools across Bengaluru, Kolar and Mulbaghal districts in the state. A team of over 120 volunteers from the Bangalore R&D centre visited these schools and distributed 160,000 notebooks and 38,500 pens to over 30,000 students. Earlier this year, employees of Samsung Research & Development Institute – Bangalore (SRI-B) visited 1,200 government schools across Karnataka over three days to donate notebooks and pens to 70,000 students.

These employees go through a rigorous entrance examination and an internal selection process to get a seat for the M.Tech. program.

This is the third batch of SRI-B employees who have earned their master’s degree from this institute, after SRI-B partnered with IIIT-B for imparting M.Tech. with specialisation in Computer Science for its employees. This program is part of the R&D Centre’s continuous learning initiative, which helps in fulfilling the aspirations of many of its employees.

“Our employees have always displayed a strong desire to enhance their technical skills and we are delighted to play such an important role in helping them fulfill their M.Tech aspirations. We aim to continue offering our people more avenues to build their technical skills,” said Dr. Aloknath De, Chief Technology Officer, SRI-B.

SRI-B hires many engineers from top engineering colleges across the country and provides them the opportunity to work on cutting edge technology in areas such as AI, machine learning, IoT, natural language processing, biometrics and camera tech. In order to help these employees gain more skills to shape their career, SRI-B runs many training programs that are aimed at both young professionals as well as experienced personnel.

SRI-B was set up in 1996, a year after Samsung entered the Indian market, and has worked on several India centric innovations that are a part of Samsung products today. Many global innovations in Samsung’s flagship smartphones have also been developed in the R&D centre.

These young graduates have honed their skills at top institutions such as Indian Institute of Technology and National Institute of Technology.

A cheery campus orientation program welcomed them to the Samsung family. This was an opportunity for each one of them to connect with graduates from varied fields and also get a sneak peek in to work life at Samsung.

Dipesh Shah, MD, SRI-B addresses the new joinees and speaks about the importance of their first job. His speech also touched upon the important role that the graduates can play in creating cutting-edge technology, as a part of Samsung.

Mr. Dipesh Shah, Managing Director of SRI-B, who has spent over 23 years with Samsung and was the first employee of SRI-B when it was set up in 1996, spoke to the young crowd about Samsung’s core values and philosophy, its business and the important role that SRI-B plays in it.

As part of their orientation program, graduates got to know more about the workings of individual departments at SRI-B at a “job fair”.

On the final day of the program, a special offsite camp was organized where interesting team building activities were designed to teach valuable professional skills to the participants.

The graduates received tips on working together as a team and later applied these lessons to build their own raft.

Before they take up roles in different projects within SRI-B, graduates are being trained on enhancing their software competency and soft skills as part of the orientation program.

We welcome these bright, young graduates to the Samsung family and look forward to inspiring the world and creating the future together!

The R&D centre has got the award for building a culture of innovation and patent filing within the organization as well as for the number of patents filed and commercialized.

Dr. Aloknath De (Centre), Chief Technology Officer at SRI-B receiving the award from Mr. Suresh Prabhu (Second from left), Minister of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.

The Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, confers the annual National Intellectual Property Awards to outstanding innovators, organizations, and companies in the field of patents, designs and trademarks every year.

The award was presented to SRI-B by Mr. Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.

“At Samsung, we feel honoured to receive this prestigious award from Government of India. The recognition is a testimony to our efforts to upgrade standards in the field of patents and innovation. Samsung’s vision is to inspire the world and create the future through innovative technologies, products and design that enrich people’s lives,” said Dr. Aloknath De, Chief Technology Officer, SRI-B.

Till date, SRI-B has filed over 2,900 patent applications. Every year the centre files between 250-300 patents across a diverse range of technologies.

Over the last few years, SRI-B had embarked on a path to become a patents powerhouse by improving the quality of innovations and developing a patent mindset among its engineers.

The first job was to cultivate an innovation and patents mindset among engineers at SRI-B. A specialized team was set up that organized basic invention creation training and an advanced inventive step training to help engineers understand the idea of innovation and how to innovate.

This was followed up by training for top quality invention creation, helping SRI-B improve the quality of patents being filed.

For engineers to better understand how to strengthen their ideas, face-to-face counseling was done and patent engineers were aligned to different teams in different technology areas.

SRI-B also set up an internal portal for filing patents, which became a one-stop shop for all patent filing information and needs of an engineer, making the process of filing patents simpler.

In India, Samsung has 5 R&D centres—2 in Bangalore and one each in Noida, Delhi and Pune. The R&D centre in Bangalore (SRI-B) is the largest R&D Centre of Samsung Electronics outside Korea. The Indian R&D centres contribute substantially to global product development as well as to India specific products and services under the company’s ‘Make for India’ initiative.

The innovation culture that has been developed at SRI-B, combined with Samsung’s ‘Make for India’ initiative that focusses on creating solutions for its Indian consumers, has led to several interesting features being developed for Samsung devices. A recent example is the Social Camera mode that was launched in the Samsung Galaxy J7 Max smartphone. The Social Camera mode allows users to instantly edit and share photos and videos directly to social media sites from their camera app. The patents for this feature were developed at SRI-B and later commercialized for devices.

SRI-B had previously won the National Intellectual Property Award in 2015 and also received the Zinnov ‘Great Place to Innovate’ Award in 2015 and 2017.