GMR Innovex will operate on an 'Open Innovation' model, acting as an 'Innovation Exchange' to partner with startups, corporates, innovation platforms, research institutions and academia to bring innovative ideas and solutions to life and help to nurture and sustain a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, a press release from GMR said. 

A dedicated new facility for innovation has also been established at the Hyderabad Airport campus to act as a platform for various innovation activities by various collaborating startups, industry partners and GMR employees, it said. 

On this launch event, GMR Innovex also announced innovation-focused partnerships with multiple new partners including Airbus, Plug and Play(leading global corporate innovation platform),Swedish Institute (SI),T Hub, IIT- Hyderabad, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), among others. 

Speaking on the occasion, Pradeep Singh Kharola, Secretary, and Ministry of Civil Aviation said during Covid-19 times the aviation sector was hard hit, but has emerged stronger and many new technologies took shape during this period and were all aimed at making the industry robust. 

''The future of air travel is one of passengers just walking through an airport in a fully paperless way. 

GMR Airports has been the first airport to launch the e- boarding service and today 90 per cent of passengers use this method. 

GMR Innovex will become an excellent hub to train talent for various specialised jobs across the aviation industry,'' Kharola said. 

Somesh Kumar, Telangana Chief Secretary said We are glad that GMR innovation is stationed in our state. 

With its strategic presence around the globe and being in one of the key sectors, GMR Innovation hub is going to make a difference.'' GBS Raju, Business Chairman Airports, GMR Group, said, ''Through GMR Innovex, we wish to position GMR as an innovation thought leader and lay the foundation for the next phase of our growth journey.''