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India Pushes Academia-Defence Research Alignment for Self-Reliance

Secretary Sanjeev Kumar has called for aligning academic research from premier institutions like IITs with the needs of defence production to build a self-reliant defence ecosystem. The initiative seeks to move beyond short-term projects and establish structured mechanisms for sustained collaboration between academia and defence public sector units. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh emphasized the critical need to reduce the time between research, prototyping, testing, and final deployment of indigenous systems. The government highlighted that defence exports have surged from under Rs 1,000 crore to a record Rs 24,000 crore since 2014 due to self-reliance efforts.

Key Points: Align College Research with Defence Needs: Secretary

  • Align academic research with defence production
  • Foster long-term student-driven research
  • Strengthen Academia-DPSU collaboration
  • Institutionalise structured tech initiatives
2 min read

Need to align college research with defence production needs: Secretary Sanjeev Kumar

Defence Ministry calls for structured academia-industry collaboration to translate research into deployable defence capabilities and boost self-reliance.

"timely induction in the Armed Forces should be the biggest parameter of our performance. - Rajnath Singh"

New Delhi, Jan 27

Secretary Sanjeev Kumar on Monday called for aligning academic research with the needs of defence production and evolving structured mechanisms for sustained engagement.

He shared his views during a virtual interaction with Directors/Deans of leading academic institutions, including IITs, NITs and IISc, along with DPSUs and other stakeholders in New Delhi.

The discussions included fostering long-term student-driven research in academic institutions, strengthening Academia-DPSU collaboration, moving beyond short-term project-based collaboration, and institutionalising structured initiatives for providing insights into futuristic technologies.

This would help in facilitating effective translation of academic research into deployable defence capabilities, he said.

The Secretary stated that such interactions would provide the Ministry with deeper insights into academic research capabilities and perspectives.

He urged the academia to adopt a consultative format with the Department of Defence Production to enable long-term national capability development.

The interaction was attended by Director, IIT Madras, Prof. V. Kamakoti; Director, IIT Kanpur, Prof. M. Agrawal; Director, IIT Bombay, Prof. S. Kedare; Director, IIT Hyderabad, Prof. B.S. Murthy; Director, IIT Gandhinagar; Prof R. Moona; Director, IIT Tirupati; Prof K. N. Satyanarayana; Director, IIT Guwahati; Prof D. Jalihal; and other senior professors from 24 premier academic institutions of the country.

The interaction reaffirmed the Ministry of Defence's commitment to leveraging the strengths of the nation's premier academic institutions in building a resilient, self-reliant, and future-ready defence technology ecosystem in collaboration with industry partners.

Earlier, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh underscored the importance of reducing the time between research and prototype, prototype to testing, and testing to deployment. The Defence Minister asserted that "timely induction in the Armed Forces should be the biggest parameter of our performance."

Commending DRDO's role in achieving self-reliance, Rajnath Singh said that Operation Sindoor demonstrated that indigenous systems are strengthening India's operational readiness.

Addressing DRDO's Best Performing Scientists and Technical Persons, who witnessed the 77th Republic Day Parade as Special Guests, Rajnath Singh stated that self-reliance has become a national mindset under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said that due to the government's self-reliance efforts, defence exports, which were less than Rs 1,000 crore in 2014, have increased to a record Rs 24,000 crore.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
As someone who has worked in both academia and industry, I can say the gap is real. Long-term, structured collaboration is key. Hope they create clear pathways for students to contribute meaningfully.
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Priya S
While the intent is good, I hope this doesn't mean all research becomes only defence-focused. Basic research in fundamental sciences is equally important for long-term technological growth. Balance is crucial.
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Vikram M
The stats on defence exports are impressive! From ₹1000 cr to ₹24,000 cr shows what focused policy can do. If our top institutes get directly involved, we can become a major defence tech exporter. 🚀
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Rohit P
Finally! We have the talent. We have the institutions. We just need to bridge the gap between lab and field. Reducing the prototype-to-deployment time is the real challenge. All the best to the teams involved.
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Michael C
Interesting model. Similar to DARPA-university partnerships in the US. The success will depend on streamlining bureaucracy and ensuring IP rights are clear for the institutions and researchers involved.

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