IIT Madras & Indian Navy tie-up to accelerate indigenous defence tech

IIT Madras has entered into a strategic collaboration with the Indian Navy and Apollo Micro Systems Limited to fast-track the indigenous development of cutting-edge defence technologies. A joint development MoU was exchanged in the presence of Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during the Indian Navy’s ‘Swavalamban 2025’ event in Delhi recently.

“This strategic MoU establishes a collaborative framework to jointly address current and emerging technological problem statements of the Armed Forces. The partnership is designed to accelerate the transition of laboratory innovations into real-world, deployment-ready products tailored for the Nation’s defence needs,” said Prof PA Ramakrishna, Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Madras, who is coordinating this project.

Successful outcomes from this partnership will contribute significantly to the Ministry of Defence’s targets for self-reliance in critical and strategically sensitive technologies, strengthening India’s position as a global defence innovation hub.

Serving as the research anchor, IIT Madras will lead the development of fundamental research, advanced concepts, and intellectual property (IP). The institute will drive early-stage design, prototyping and future-focused technological solutions across multi-domain defence applications.

The Directorate General of Naval Armament Inspection (DGNAI) – Indian Navy will contribute mission-critical operational knowledge, user requirements and test protocols. Apollo Micro Systems Limited will serve as the technology development and manufacturing partner.