The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee will now get a new research centre for futuristic defence technology requirements. The new research centre has been approved by the Ministry of Defence keeping in tune with India's mission for technological upgradation and self-reliance in the defence sector. The facility, an IIT Roorkee statement said, will be known as ‘DRDO Industry Academia-Centre of Excellence' (DIA-CoE).
The establishment of the new centre has also been intimated in a seminar on Atmaanirbharta in Defence R&D held at the recent DefExpo 2022, India, at Gandhinagar, chaired by the Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, the statement added.
With the set up of the new research centre, IIT Roorkee will have improved prospects and avenues to address “critical and futuristic defence technology requirements of the armed forces”. The Facility, IIT Roorkee said, will receive financial assistance from the DRDO, Government of India.
The DIA-CoE IITR will facilitate and undertake multidisciplinary directed basic and applied research in the research verticals mutually identified by the DRDO and IITR. The Centre of Excellence (CoE) will also collaborate with the academic researchers and faculties at IIT Roorkee, startups, industries, and other institutes in the country in facilitating and progressing advanced defence technology research. It will include IITR faculty members and students, DRDO scientists, start-ups, industry, and other research organizations.
While issuing a statement in this regard, the institute also listed some key research areas of the centre which include -- smart infrastructure and hardened structures for defence applications; energy storage devices; landslide, snow and avalanche studies; pulsed laser and specialty fiber; shock and detonics; and thermal management.
The DIA-CoE IITR will enable collaborative research on these themes of verticals, which would lead to the development of new technologies for cutting-edge future defence systems as per the research and technology roadmap of the nation.
