IIT Hyderabad launches international certificate programme in Product–Service Systems design

According to an official statement, the programme has been developed as part of IIT Hyderabad’s broader plan to expand international design education and enhance industry-linked innovation. The partnership has been shaped with support from IICCI’s Project Minerva – The Italian Education and Training Hub.

The curriculum alternates between expert faculty from Italy and India (Image via IIT Hyderabad)

3 min readNew DelhiDec 11, 2025 09:24 AM IST First published on: Dec 10, 2025 at 06:52 PM IST

The Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH) has announced a new International Certificate Programme in Integrated Product–Service System (IPSS) Design, developed by its Department of Design (DoD) in collaboration with POLI.design, Milan. The programme is supported in India by the Indo-Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IICCI). According to an official statement, the initiative aims to strengthen cross-border learning and introduce advanced design frameworks to Indian learners.

The IPSS Design Certificate is a 54-hour online training programme scheduled to begin on 15 January 2026. It consists of 30 hours of live online modules and 24 hours of hands-on workshop sessions. The sessions will be jointly conducted by faculty members from POLI.design and IIT Hyderabad’s Department of Design.

The curriculum alternates between experts from Italy and India, offering exposure to global design practices and collaborative project work. The structure is intended to help participants develop competencies in product–service system thinking, sustainable design methods, strategic innovation, and the ability to address real-world business and design challenges.

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According to an official statement, the programme has been developed as part of IIT Hyderabad’s broader plan to expand international design education and enhance industry-linked innovation. The partnership has been shaped with support from IICCI’s Project Minerva – The Italian Education and Training Hub.

IIT Hyderabad Director Prof BS Murty said the collaboration with POLI.design and IICCI would help strengthen knowledge exchange between India and Italy. He added that the initiative is expected to contribute to building skilled human resources aligned with India’s growing product and service design landscape.

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POLI.design’s former CEO and project faculty member Prof Cabirio Cautela said the institution aims to support India’s upskilling and reskilling needs by sharing its strategic design expertise through this programme.

IICCI CEO and Secretary General Claudio Maffioletti noted that such collaborations help build stronger Indo-Italian business linkages and support the transfer of design capabilities that industries increasingly require.

Role of IICCI and international industry link

The Indo-Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has facilitated the collaboration under its Minerva Eduhub initiative. According to the IIT Hyderabad statement, the Chamber sees such partnerships as a means to deepen bilateral economic engagement and strengthen design-driven enterprise capabilities.

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Notably, POLI.design is part of the Politecnico di Milano Design System, ranked first in Italy, first in the European Union and sixth globally in the Arts and Design category in QS Rankings 2025, according to an official statement. Established in 1999, the institution focuses on postgraduate education and develops cross-industry programmes using project-based learning and research-led methods.

Through this tri-partite collaboration, the programme is positioned to support professional readiness across sectors that rely on integrated product and service offerings. It also aligns with broader efforts to expand global networks in design, innovation, and industry-oriented education.