MUMBAI: Tata Sons plans to sign up with top universities of the UK and US to give a boost to innovation. Students from the universities of Harvard, Stanford, Columbia and Cornell, among others, will research with the Tata group technology team led by Gopichand Katragadda for the latest innovation offerings across different ventures.Katragadda said an alliance should be in the kitty in the next two months. The group on Wednesday said it has doubled published patents in two years, from about 3,500 at end of 2013 to about 7,000 at 2015-end. These patents are primarily in areas of computation and data processing, materials, coating, casting and vehicle propulsion, communications, engines and hybrids, fuels and controls.About 2.7% of the group’s turnover has been invested in R&D in 2014-15, amounting to $2.9 billion. The first CTO for India’s oldest conglomerate, Katragadda was brought in for a digital revamp even in brick and mortar sectors.The Cyrus Mistry-led group is pushing for innovation across 120 companies to help marry technology, digital and innovation under one man. Focus areas for the technology team include energy, food and wellness, digital consumer products and services and digital factory and fleets.At its Tata Innovista programme, held annually by the Innovation Forum, it said there were over 1,900 implemented innovations from Tata companies under the Promising Innovations category in the past year.This category recognises innovations that have been successfully implemented and accrued business benefits. Estimated financial benefit of top innovations has been trending at about $1billion on annually.