Hyderabad: Already a centre for IT and IT-enabled services, Hyderabad is now growing to becoming a hub for the research and development sector. Data released by industry bodies Nasscom and Assocham has revealed the city has about 14 per cent of the 900 major R&D units in the IT and ITeS sectors in the country. Bengaluru leads with 33 per cent of all major R&D units. It’s said that Hyderabad will reach Bengaluru’s levels in this sector by 2020.
IT secretary Jayesh Ranjan said investors were looking at Hyderabad for R&D units after the unveiling of the TS-iPASS industrial policy and the IT policy. Meanwhile, E.V. Narsimha Reddy, TS Industrial Infra-structure Corporation vice-chairman and managing director, said Amazon, which had been allotted land at Gachibowli was now seeking an additional one acre parcel of land to set up its data centre and R&D unit. “Amazon and mobile phone makers like Micromax and Celkon have applied via TS-iPASS to establish R&D units,” he said.
Pegasystems India’s MD, Suman Reddy Eadunuri, said, “Going by geographical and security aspects, the city is the best place for security to data. Bengaluru is in the lead in this sector but Hyderabad has better infrastructure and cost of living is lower. The best example is Apple coming forward to establish its Maps unit here,” he said. Pegasystems established its R&D units here in 2008.
Top pharma firms too have queued up to bring their units to Pharma City at Mucherla in Ranga Reddy district. Assocham said the R&D sector would soon develop in pharma, biotechnology, defence, minerals, textiles and jewellery sectors as Telangana state had skilled manpower in research and development capabilities. The TSIIC is also expanding the Genome Valley by 200 acres in Mulugu to provide space for more BT companies.
