Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will be establishing a research cell at Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT-H) to meet the future defence technological requirements of the country. The ‘DRDO - IIT-H Research Cell’ will undertake basic and applied research programs in identified technology areas and is being established as an extension of the DRDO Research and Innovation Centre (RIC), Chennai.
The research cell is envisaged to become a 'Centre of Excellence' in conducting scientific and applied research in advanced technologies for defence. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish the research cell was signed by Director, Directorate of Futuristic Technology Management (DFTM), DRDO, K.K. Pathak, Director General, Missiles and Strategic Systems (MSS), DRDO M.S.R. Prasad and IITH Director Prof. B.S. Murty through a virtual event few days back.
“This MoU is aimed at bringing together DRDO capabilities and IITH to achieve greater heights in indigenous technology through collaborative research. The research cell will ensure seamless execution of different projects between both organisations as IITH has a strong research base in advanced technologies,.” said DRDO chairman G. Satheesh Reddy, through a video call.
The cell is to help in tapping knowledge resources in basic science and technology industries that are interdisciplinary in nature and spread across multiple institutions. The nitiative is help the country become self-reliant in select defence technologies and facilitate directed basic and applied research by engaging faculty and researchers at academic institutions, technology centers and other renowned institutes through research programs, said a press release on Monday.
“IIT-Madras shares a special bond with IIT-H from its birth. We are also happy that Prof. Murty, also an institute Professor at IIT-M, is leading IIT-H. I am sure that DRDO-IITH Research Cell will make headway with its breath-taking deliverables under the umbrella of RIC, Chennai, with strong collaboration between DRDO scientists and IITH researchers,” said IIT-M director Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi.
Thanking DRDO for choosing IIT-H to set up the research cell, IIT-H director Prof. B.S. Murty said: “Research is always a prime focus at our institute. It is indeed a pride moment for IITH to get associated with DRDO. This cell will support various research areas at IITH that can not only focus on fundamental science but also can bring out indigenous technologies and solutions through strong collaboration with scientists of DRDO.”
Thrust areas of the research cell include advanced material and processing, sensors for defense applications, hardware and algorithms for artificial intelligence-based applications, technologies for space applications, adaptive optics and image processing, UAV and nanoornithocopter technologies, and quantum technologies.