ASMS–BITS Pilani partnership aims to build an AI, IoT, and blockchain-powered rural digital ecosystem to improve agriculture, finance, and governance for over 40 million people.

Avio Smart Market Stack Limited (ASMS), formerly known as Bartronics India Limited, has signed a strategic (MoU) with BITS Pilani. The collaboration represents a powerful convergence of industry innovation and academic excellence, with a shared vision to create scalable, technology-driven solutions that address some of rural India’s most pressing challenges. Together, the partnership seeks to impact more than 40 million farmers and rural residents through advancements in digital innovation, e-governance, applied research, and sustainable rural development.

Under the partnership, ASMS and BITS Pilani will co-develop an integrated digital ecosystem powered by emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT), Blockchain, and advanced data analytics. The collaboration will focus on building evidence-based, scalable solutions that improve governance, operational efficiency, digital inclusion, and rural service delivery.

The collaboration aims to tackle some of the most pressing challenges faced by rural communities, including inadequate access to formal financial services, limited availability of quality agricultural resources, lack of reliable market insights, gaps in healthcare access, and the increasing demand for sustainable and climate-resilient farming solutions. 

By combining ASMS’s extensive grassroots network and implementation capabilities with BITS Pilani’s expertise in research, engineering, management, and data science, the partnership aims to create impactful and sustainable solutions that can be replicated across India.

The collaboration will also provide valuable real-world research and innovation opportunities for BITS Pilani scholars and students. Early-stage projects under consideration include crop yield prediction pilots, digital financial literacy initiatives, and e-governance research programmes tailored for rural India.

Commenting on the collaboration, Dr. Raja Krishna Murthy M, Head-Agri Tech Business, ASMS said: “Our collaboration with BITS Pilani marks a significant step toward building a technology-driven and inclusive rural ecosystem for India. By combining academic excellence with industry-scale implementation, we aim to deliver innovative solutions in agriculture, digital governance, financial inclusion, and rural livelihoods, ultimately creating sustainable impact for millions of farmers and underserved communities across the country.”

The partnership is expected to serve as a model for purposeful and outcome-driven industry-academia collaboration in India, demonstrating how innovation, research, and technology can be harnessed to create measurable social and economic impact at scale.