The Indian Army has entered into a collaboration with IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation to strengthen indigenous defence capabilities, in line with the government’s push for Atmanirbhar Bharat.
IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation signs MoU with The Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers of The Indian Army in Chennai.
The Corps of EME is the technical backbone of the Indian Army responsible for maintaining and sustaining its weapon platforms.
The partnership is being led by The Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME), which plays a key role in maintaining and supporting weapon systems. Through this collaboration, both sides aim to reduce dependence on foreign technologies by developing home-grown solutions tailored to the Army’s operational needs.
A major outcome of this agreement is the establishment of a Nodal Indigenisation Centre (NIC) at Avadi, near Chennai. This centre will be the bridge between real-world military requirements and advanced research being carried out in academic and industrial ecosystems.
They will create a structured pipeline to identify problems in developing, testing, and deploying indigenous technologies.
The collaboration will focus on areas such as sensing systems, cyber-physical systems, and autonomous technologies. Startups and academic partners will also be involved, with Pravartak working closely with the NIC to push innovation.
Meanwhile, the Army will provide practical inputs, validation support, and field testing to ensure that solutions are actually usable in real combat or operational scenarios.
The Corps of EME is expected to benefit by upgrading legacy systems and improving operational readiness, while Pravartak gains direct access to real defence challenges.
Highlighting the significance of this initiative, Dr. M.J. Shankar Raman, CEO, IITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation, said, “India’s journey toward self-reliance in defence technologies requires strong synergy between the armed forces, academia and innovation ecosystems.”
Further, Major General Lalit Kapoor, VSM, Commander, Base Workshop Group (EME), Indian Army, said, “By working closely with IITM 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.”
A joint steering committee will oversee project selection and alignment, ensuring that efforts remain focused and outcome-driven. Overall, the initiative is expected to strengthen India’s defence innovation ecosystem.
