Archive · 10 Aug 2026
PlastIndia International University to build future-ready talent for plastics industry
Plastic is used in many things, from packaging to buildings and hospitals.
India wants to make and invent more plastic products, and it needs smart people to do that.
A big plastics organization called the PlastIndia Foundation is helping start a special university.
This university is called PlastIndia International University, and it is in the town of Vapi in Gujarat, India.
It works together with a university in the United States called UMass Lowell.
Students there can learn plastic engineering and computer science.
They also study how to recycle plastic and make plastic that is better for the environment.
A leader named Dr. Raju Desai said the future of plastic will be shaped by people, not just machines.
He wants schools, factories, and the government to work together.
The goal is to use plastic responsibly while protecting the planet.
PlastIndia Foundation President Dr. Raju Desai spoke at the inauguration of HIPLEX 2026 in Hyderabad about building future-ready talent for India's plastics industry.
Telangana Minister for IT and Industries D. Sridhar Babu was present at the inauguration.
PlastIndia International University, promoted by the PlastIndia Foundation, is a joint venture with the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell), USA.
The university, located in Vapi, Gujarat, offers B.Tech programmes in Plastics and Polymer Engineering and Computer Science and Engineering, plus programmes for working professionals.
Dr. Desai called for closer collaboration among universities, industry and government, with sustainability central to plastics education.
- Who
- PlastIndia Foundation President Dr. Raju Desai, with Telangana Minister for IT and Industries D. Sridhar Babu present at the inauguration.
- What
- Inauguration of HIPLEX 2026, where Dr. Desai highlighted PlastIndia International University's role in developing specialised talent, research and knowledge for India's plastics sector.
- When
- At the inauguration of HIPLEX 2026.
- Where
- Hyderabad, India (event); the university is based in Vapi, Gujarat.
- Why
- To build a talent, research and knowledge ecosystem that sustains India's plastics industry growth and supports its emergence as a global manufacturing and innovation hub.
- Event
- HIPLEX 2026 inauguration
- Event location
- Hyderabad
- Speaker
- Dr. Raju Desai, President, PlastIndia Foundation
- University
- PlastIndia International University (PIU)
- University location
- Vapi, Gujarat
- International partner
- University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell), USA
- Programmes offered
- B.Tech in Plastics and Polymer Engineering; B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering; specialised programmes for working professionals
- Research areas
- Plastic recycling, biodegradable and compostable polymers, polymeric biomaterials, renewable-source materials, plastics processing, polymer synthesis, polymer composites and nanocomposites