DTU, IEEMA sign pact to boost industry-academia collaboration in electrical sector

The Delhi Technological University (DTU) has signed an agreement with the Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers’ Association (IEEMA) to strengthen industry-academia collaboration in the electrical and electronics sector. The agreement was signed in New Delhi on January 23 as part of efforts to deepen engagement between academic institutions and industry.

The agreement seeks to institutionalise a long-term partnership under the Industry-Academia Engagement Initiative (IAEI), aimed at bridging the gap between theoretical learning and real-world industrial application, an official DTU release stated.

Highlighting the importance of sustained engagement between academia and industry, DTU vice-chancellor Prateek Sharma said, “While many engineers today move towards software roles, strong industry exposure during college is essential to build self-reliance in core sectors.”

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He added that academia is “the best space to experiment, innovate, and learn from failure,” noting that continuous industry engagement would ensure students graduate as industry-ready professionals.

The agreement was signed by Binod Doley, registrar, DTU, and Charu Mathur, director general, IEEMA, on behalf of the two organisations.

DTU partnership to align with industry needs

The press release stated that the partnership will involve curriculum reviews to integrate industrial insights into academic programmes, particularly in areas such as clean energy, digital grids, sustainable materials, and power electronics.

Beyond academics, the alliance will focus on joint research, startup mentorship, and policy advocacy aligned with India’s decarbonisation and energy transition goals.

A joint working group of DTU and IEEMA experts will oversee the partnership and meet bi-annually to approve action plans and monitor progress. With IEEMA joining the DTU, the collaboration is being positioned as a national model for practice-based engineering education aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP), the release said.

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Emphasising the sector’s growth and global competitiveness, IEEMA president Vikram Gandotra said, “India has significantly reduced its import dependence, emerging as a strong global supplier of high-quality products.” He added that strengthening industry-academia collaboration is essential to sustain and accelerate this momentum.

IEEMA director general Charu Mathur said, “The collaboration will focus on clear, outcome-driven areas such as supporting startup expansion and identifying specific industry challenges for DTU to work on.”