The ISRO and NIT signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Thursday for setting up the centre which will enable start-ups to build applications and products that could be used in future space missions. ''Space technology-related research and the products from the S-TIC will be utilised in future space missions and will help nation building through ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ in space technology and applications domain,'' said ISRO Chairman K Sivan.

''Students and research scholars will execute real projects given by ISRO of NIT Rourkela taking guidance from expert faculties, mentors from ISRO and relevant industrie,'' he said. As per the MoU, NIT Rourkela will provide its state-of-the-art laboratories, facilities and expert faculties to meet these objectives. The upcoming centre will promote startups, capacity-building, innovations and research in space technology in Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand besides the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Animesh Biswas, Director, NIT Rourkela, said, ''We thank ISRO Chairman and Director of CBPO (Capacity Building Programme Office) for selecting NIT, Rourkela in the eastern region for setting up of S-TIC. NIT Rourkela’s sponsored research and industrial consultancy is one among the best in the country. ISRO’s support will further enhance our research infrastructure''.

ISRO will provide an annual grant-in-aid of Rs 2 crore for a period of up to two years to NIT Rourkela as seed money for setting up the S-TIC. The seed money would be utilised for facility augmentation to carry out the research projects and product development taken from ISRO. NIT Rourkela will provide the required infrastructure inside its academic campus.