BITS Design School Takes Design into Space, Finance and Scientific Research

MUMBAI:
Second-year students from BITS Design School (BITSDES) have successfully completed their first industry internships under the BITS Pilani Practice School programme, undertaking live projects across sectors ranging from financial innovation and space technology to polar research and consumer industries.

As part of the eight-week Practice School–I programme, all 138 second-year students completed industry internships with 85 organisations across 12 industry sectors. Through the work-integrated learning programme, students worked on live projects under joint academic and industry mentorship, applying classroom learning to real-world challenges.

Students contributed to a wide range of projects across sectors. At the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH), they worked on platform, dashboard and design system development for initiatives including Pratirupa. At the National Centre for Polar & Ocean Research (NCPOR), students designed a polar data portal aligned with SCAR-SCADAM standards.

Students also supported branding and design initiatives in the space sector. At Dhruva Space and Apollyon Dynamics, they worked on visual identity, design systems and positioning. Other participating organisations included HDFC Bank, Nokia, Tata Elxsi, Havells, Aditya Birla Group, Reliance Industries, McCann, Leo Burnett and Fractal Analytics.

“This first cohort demonstrates how design is increasingly being embedded in domains where it has traditionally played a limited role, from space technology and financial innovation to scientific research,” said Nandita Abraham, Dean, BITS Design School. “Creating these opportunities was a key objective behind integrating the BITS Pilani Practice School programme into the B.Des Hons. curriculum.”

Practice School–I is the first of two credit-bearing industry internships integrated into the B.Des Hons. curriculum through the BITS Pilani Practice School programme. With a legacy spanning over five decades, the Practice School programme is one of India’s longest-running work-integrated learning programmes, connecting students with industry through structured, hands-on learning experiences. BITSDES Students will have the option to undertake a second, 22-week Practice School–II internship in their final year, making industry exposure a core, credit-bearing component of the curriculum.

Students undertook internships across 16 cities in 10 states, Organisations engaged students across school’s five design pathways, Digital Product Design, Design Research & Insights, Visual Design, Physical Product Design and Experiential Design.

The BITS Pilani Practice School programme is integrated into the BITS Design School undergraduate curriculum to make work-integrated learning a core, credit-bearing component of the B.Des Hons. programme. Through structured industry internships, students work on live projects, applying design thinking, user research, visual communication and product strategy to real-world challenges while gaining experience of multidisciplinary professional environments.