Indian Army partners with IIT Madras’ Pravartak to boost indigenous defence technology development

Chennai: The Corps of EME of the Indian Army has partnered with the IIT-Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation to reduce dependence on external sources for developing critical military technologies, officials said on Thursday. The Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers is the technical backbone of the Indian Army and is responsible for the maintenance and sustenance of the wide spectrum of equipment held.

As part of the partnership between the two entities, a Nodal Indigenisation Centre has been established at Avadi near here to leverage the region's industrial ecosystem and strengthen the Tamil Nadu Defence Corridor, a press release from IIT-Madras said.

Commenting on the partnership, Indian Army Commander-Base Workshop Group Major General Lalit Kapoor said, "This collaboration strengthens our indigenisation efforts by leveraging cutting-edge research." By working closely with IIT-M Pravartak, the Corps of EME aims to enhance operational readiness, upgrade legacy weapon platforms with advanced technologies, and develop niche capabilities for future roles, while significantly reducing dependence on external sources, he added.

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The partnership will enable a structured approach to jointly identify, develop, and deploy indigenous solutions tailored to the operational and maintenance needs of the Indian Army. It will focus on bridging the gap between field requirements and cutting-edge research by integrating academic expertise, industry capabilities, and military insights, the release said. IIT-Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation CEO M J Shankar Raman said, "India's journey toward self-reliance in defence technologies requires strong synergy between the armed forces, academia, and innovation ecosystems. This partnership is a significant step toward accelerating indigenous solutions that are technologically robust and operationally relevant."

IIT-Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation will work closely with the Nodal Indigenisation Centre to drive projects in critical domains such as sensing systems, cyber-physical systems, and autonomous technologies, while enabling participation from startups and academic partners. The Corps of EME will provide operational requirements and validation support to ensure real-world applicability, the release added.