IIT Kharagpur sets up DRDO industry academia centre of excellence for defence research

Kolkata: The Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur has set up a DRDO Industry Academia-Centre of Excellence (DIA-CoE) on its campus, aimed at boosting indigenous defence research and innovation in the country, officials said.

The centre was inaugurated on Saturday by S V Kamat, Secretary, Department of Defence (R&D) and Chairman of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, in the presence of IIT-Kharagpur Director Suman Chakraborty, and others, the institute said in a statement. The DIA-CoE has been set up to bring together leading academic institutions, industries and start-ups to develop advanced and futuristic technologies for defence applications, it said.

The centre will function as a collaborative platform to accelerate translational research, promote innovation and contribute to India's technological self-reliance in the strategic sector, it said. Following the inauguration, a one-day seminar on 'Advancements in Technologies for Unmanned Underwater Vehicles and Future Trends' was organised. Researchers, scientists and industry experts participated in the seminar and discussed emerging technologies, autonomous underwater systems, advanced sensors and future research directions in unmanned underwater vehicles.