PNN
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 28: SRH University, one of Germany's leading private universities of applied sciences that serves over 11,000 students from more than 140 countries, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with SAP Labs India, SAP's largest R&D centre outside its Walldorf headquarters. Grounded in a practice-oriented approach, the partnership aims to equip Indian learners with globally relevant digital competencies while strengthening the exchange of expertise between India and Germany. This opens new avenues for learners across India's growing digital economy and into the German and international hiring markets.
Dr. Thorsten Bagschik, Managing Director of SRH University, and Sindhu Gangadharan, Managing Director of SAP Labs India, inked the academic-industry partnership in the presence of Jeannine Koch, Member of the Board of SRH University and CEO of medianet berlinbrandenburg. This agreement marks an extension to the SRH - SAP partnership launched in Germany in December 2025. Notably, SAP is already the number-one employer of SRH University graduates in Germany, highlighting how practice-oriented education and academic-industry cooperation can bring tangible career outcomes for students.
SRH University is one of the most popular private universities in Germany for Indian students, with over 2,000 Indian students currently enrolled among more than 140 nationalities on campus. The partnership includes deeper integration of SAP learning content and certifications into existing programmes, as well as the joint development of new degree programmes. Through this partnership, students work with real SAP technologies, live industry projects, and sector-specific applications from the outset, significantly improving their employability in the global digital economy.
"The extension of our existing partnership with SAP SE to India brings together two of the world's most important hubs of innovation. We are combining our practice-oriented German higher education with the dynamism of the Indian technology markets," said Dr. Thorsten Bagschik, Managing Director, SRH University.
Sindhu Gangadharan, Managing Director, SAP Labs India, said, "Industry and academia must work closely together to prepare talent for a rapidly evolving digital economy. By extending our partnership with SRH University to India, we are creating new opportunities for students to build enterprise technology skills that are directly relevant to the needs of global businesses. Initiatives like this are central to SAP's ambition to equip 12 million people with AI-ready skills by 2030 and to build a strong pipeline of future-ready technology talent."
"Companies today are looking for talent that can bring together processes, data and technology and actively shape change. Universities like SRH University, which integrate SAP competencies hands-on into their study programmes, prepare their graduates specifically for these demands." said Andre Bechtold, President SAP Industries & Experiences.
The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 delivers a stark forecast. By 2030, automation will eliminate 92 million jobs while creating 170 million new roles. Employers will render 39 per cent of skills they prize today obsolete by the end of the decade. Universities and companies, therefore, face a shared challenge: aligning qualifications more closely with the global demand for digital skills. Through this extended partnership, SAP SE and SRH University address this directly, enabling Indian students to work with real technologies during their studies and acquire applied SAP competencies that translate into stronger career outcomes.
A key foundation for this practice-oriented approach is SRH's exclusive CORE principle (Competence-Oriented Research and Education). This teaching model relies on project-based learning in small cohorts, where students tackle real-world problems. The integration of SAP content and certifications further enriches this approach with industry-specific competencies.
What This Means for Indian Students
This partnership gives Indian students access to SRH's SAP-integrated degrees, with certification pathways built in from day one. Students work inside live SAP environments throughout their studies, tackling real enterprise challenges. What they carry out of the classroom is a German degree and an SAP credential that global employers already trust. With this, the opportunity that lies ahead is considerable. Over 25 per cent of all EU Blue Cards issued in 2023 went to Indian nationals.
About SRH University
SRH University is a private university with 18 locations across Germany, nearly 11,000 students from more than 140 countries, and a portfolio of around 120 degree programs. It is part of the non-profit foundation group SRH, one of Germany's largest providers of education and healthcare. With more than 50 years of experience in higher education, SRH University aims to provide access to high-quality education and train the skilled professionals of tomorrow. SRH University places great importance on openness, diversity, and contemporary educational concepts that combine in-person and online teaching. Together with SRH Distance Learning University and EBS University of Business and Law, more than 20,000 students are currently enrolled at SRH universities.
About SAP Labs India
SAP Labs India is SAP's largest research and development centre outside Germany, headquartered in Bengaluru with additional presence across India. SAP Labs India plays a central role in developing SAP's next-generation cloud, AI, and enterprise software solutions, and actively engages with academia to build the digital talent pipeline that the global SAP ecosystem requires.
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