At the recent Defence Expo 2022 (DefExpo22) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, IIT Hyderabad, a premier technical institute in India, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) to establish an Industry Academia Center of Excellence on the IIT Hyderabad campus. The DIA-CoE will have a special focus on additive manufacturing as well, in addition to a vast array of new technologies.
This Memorandum of Understanding was signed in the presence of India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Dr Samir V Kamat, Chairman of DRDO and Secretary of DDR&D, signed an agreement with Prof B S Murty, Director of IITH.
In 2020-21, a DRDO Cell was established at IIT Hyderabad (IITH), which served as a satellite centre for the RIC Chennai (IIT Madras Research park).
Industry Academia Center of Excellence
Dr Natrajan, Director of the RIC, took the initiative to contact various defence laboratories in and around Hyderabad, compile problem statements, and distribute them to IITH faculty members via Dean (R&D) Prof Sumohana, IITH.
Many proposals were submitted in a variety of areas ranging from additive manufacturing to sensor design, artificial intelligence to space technologies, and 13 proposals worth several crores were sanctioned at the speed of a rocket.
Additive Manufacturing for Defence
Recognizing the importance of Additive Manufacturing to the Defence, a Centre for Additive Manufacturing was proposed, with participation from faculty from various departments ranging from Mechanical to Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering, Biomedical to Electrical Engineering. The currently approved DIA-CoE will elevate this initiative and allow IITH, DRDO, and industry to contribute to nation-building.
“Country’s defence is not only the responsibility of those who fight the battle on the border but also every Indian, who can be a significant contributor in their own way. IITH is committed to serving humanity through invention & Innovation in technology; DIA-CoE is another indication of the high Innovation Quotient we are known for. IITH is among a few IITs that has been trusted for its capabilities and adored this unique opportunity to serve the nation profoundly.”
– Prof B S Murty, Director, IITH
The DIA-CoE will focus on the following broad domains: Additive manufacturing, High-temperature materials for hypersonic vehicles, Artificial Intelligence for missile and missile defence, Space application technologies, Adaptive imaging and image processing, Nanoornithocopter technologies, Seeker and homing technologies.
