The ST Foundation, the non-profit corporate arm of STMicroelectronics, hosted a media briefing late January 2026 to outline its strategic expansion in India and celebrate the recent recognition of its flagship “Digital Unify” program. Dedicated to bridging the global digital divide since 2001. The Foundation’s mission has taken on critical urgency in India, where over 400 million people remain excluded from essential digital services.
Addressing the 400 Million Divide
With global data from the 2025 ITU Connectivity Report indicating that 2.2 billion people lack basic digital access, the ST Foundation has positioned India as a central focus for its “Digital Unify” (DU) initiative. The program uses a “train-the-trainer” model and local partnerships to ensure sustainable, community-owned growth.
Impact in Asia and India
In Asia alone, the foundation has 96 Digital Unify Labs, serving about 26,000 beneficiaries per year at a cost of less than $10 per student trained.
The Foundation in India was officially registered in 2018, having reached more than 180,000 trainees to date and having established over 56 Digital Unify Labs across the country.
Key Program Impact and Expansions:
- Education for Vulnerable Children: Since 2022, the “Basic Coding” program has reached over 2,500 children aged 9–13 in slum areas, providing many with their first-ever exposure to digital devices.
- Rehabilitation for Incarcerated Individuals: In partnership with the India Vision Foundation, the “Introduction to Computer Basics” (ICB) course has trained over 3,300 incarcerated people across Uttar Pradesh and Delhi (including Central Jail Rohini) to aid in their eventual reintegration into society.
- Empowering the Visually Impaired: A specialised ICB4VI pilot recently trained 17 visually impaired girls in digital skills. The Foundation is now preparing to scale this model nationwide.
Digital Unification and Cyber Concerns
The Foundation has not only been providing underprivileged people with digital literacy but has also helped them with understanding the basic risks of cyber-attacks, briefings on cybersecurity and internet safety.
Award-Winning Impact
The briefing also highlighted the Foundation’s recent accolade as the “CSR Project of the Year” at the 7th Indo-French Chamber of Commerce & Industry (IFCCI) CSR Conclave & Awards. This award recognises the program’s effectiveness in turning the digital access gap into tangible opportunities for education and employment.
By: Shreya Bansal, Sub-Editor
