Hope Foundation and Research Centre (Hope Foundation) is a Public Charitable Trust / Society established by Late Shri Pralhad  P. Chhabria in the year  1979 with the objective  of rendering social  services towards  nation  building.  Hope Foundation is registered under the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950 (now known as the Maharashtra Public Trust Act, 1950) and  the  Societies  Registration  Act, 1860 under  the  auspices of the  Finolex Group  of Companies and  has  been contributing to the field of higher education, medical  assistance and research and development activities for over 22+ years and is successfully accomplishing its societal objectives to deserving communities across the country.

Under the aegis of the Trust / Society are two educational institutions and one research institution.

Educational Institutions

Finolex Academy of Management and Technology (FAMT), Ratnagiri

International Institute of Information Technology (I²IT), Pune

Research   Institution

Pralhad P. Chhabria Research Center (PPCRC), Pune

Hope Foundation has been  active in the field of medicine  since inception  extending  aid for cancer  patients  especially children in the form of medical  assistance and  lifesaving drugs.  The Foundation also extends support  technically and financially by way of donations, scholarships, awards, fee waivers, student assistantships etc. to its deserving  students and to social communities serving the society with a non-profit motto to the maximum extent possible in order to develop innovative products, technologies and services by way of association, collaboration or otherwise for the attainment of the objects of the Trust / Society.

Hope  Foundation launched its activities into the field of education with the establishment of the Finolex Academy of Management and Technology (FAMT) on 25 acres of land located in M.I.D.C. Ratnagiri, in 1996. FAMT is a professional engineering college  established with the  aim  of  providing  quality  education to  young  aspirants from  the  under developed region  of  Konkan  to  acquire   specialized technical  skills in  the  fields  of  engineering and   technology management.

FAMT is approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), New Delhi and affiliated to the University of Mumbai  and  offers undergraduate and  postgraduate degree level courses  in Engineering  in the fields of Electronics, Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics & Telecommunication, Chemical, Information  Technology, Masters  in Computer Applications (MCA) and  M.E. (Machine Design). FAMT, Ratnagiri has approximately 2000 students  on its campus. For more details, please visit www.famt.ac.in

In the year  2016, the Pralhad  P. Chhabria Research  Center  (PPCRC) has  been  established to fulfill Shri Chhabria’s lifelong commitment towards  fostering social development in India. PPCRC’s intent is to advance knowledge through research and  provide education & training in interdisciplinary  areas of Science, Engineering, and  Technology to serve India and  the world at large.  PPCRC focuses  on research in convergence of Information  Technology, Biotechnology, Nanotechnology and Cognitive Technology. The research areas are grouped under major themes of Intelligent Systems, Engineering  Systems, Electronic & Photonic  Systems, Neurosystems and  Applied Materials  Systems and  the vision is being   attained through   providing   an  environment  for  self-development  of  creators,  inventors,   discoverers   and innovators, undertake research with academia and  industry, and  equip learners with knowledge, tools and  techniques that will be essential for creating the foundation for the 21st century. For more details, please visit www.ppcrc.in

Hope Foundation and Research Centre (Hope Foundation) is recognized as a Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (SIRO) by the  Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India.