BITS Pilani, DIAT Pune ink MoUs with private players to boost defence R&D and innovation | Hyderabad News

Dr G Satheesh Reddy, former DRDO chairman and member of the National Security Advisory Board, addressing the Defence & Aerospace Industry Day 2026 organised by BITS Pilani and Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), Pune, at the BITS Pilani Hyderabad campus on Tuesday.

Hyderabad: As many as 20 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed and 48 indigenous aerospace and defence technologies were showcased at BITS Pilani Hyderabad on Tuesday as part of efforts to accelerate mission-ready defence and aerospace innovation as part of the Defence & Aerospace Industry Day 2026 organised by BITS Pilani and Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), Pune.Held on the theme “Bridging Academia and Industry for Mission-Ready Defence and Aerospace Innovation,” the event brought together about 200 representatives from 45 companies, including DRDO, Department of Space, Department of Atomic Energy, Kalyani Group, Paras Defence, MIDHANI, BEL, Nuclear Fuel Complex and HAL.MoUs were exchanged with firms including Skyroot Aerospace, L&T PES, Paras Defence, Bharat Forge, VEM Technologies, Zen Technologies, Sigma Aerospace, Abyom, Centum Electronics and Digantara Technologies. The agreements cover collaborative R&D, technology development, transfer and commercialisation. Of the 20 MoUs inked, 19 were with BITS Pilani and one with DIAT.These MoUs will establish a structured framework for collaborative R&D, technology development, technology transfer and joint commercialisation, creating pathways for research outcomes to move from laboratories towards industrial adoption.BITS Pilani and DIAT Pune also jointly showcased 48 indigenous technology capabilities spanning advanced materials, electronics, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, sensors and aerospace engineering.Dr G Satheesh Reddy, former DRDO chairman and member of National Security Advisory Board, said BITS Pilani and DIAT could become key technology partners in translational research aligned with ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.He urged academia and industry to jointly identify convergent research areas and build a technology roadmap for Viksit Bharat.BITS Pilani vice chancellor Prof V Ramgopal Rao said national research must be converted into deployable capability through closer collaboration among researchers, developers and industry.DIAT vice chancellor Prof BHVS Narayana Murthy stressed the need for agile capabilities amid emerging and asymmetric warfare.An open house chaired by Reddy and Rao called for time-bound implementation of MoUs, industry engagement, expanded skill-development mechanisms and collaborative research laboratories supported by govt, industry and academia.