IIT Dharwad Defence Technology Hub: IIT Dharwad has got ₹18 crore to set up a new defence research centre. This centre will work on new defence technology and Industry 5.0 ideas. The aim is to help India make its own defence products and depend less on other countries.
This centre will be called a Strategic Centre of Excellence. It will work on future defence systems, smart factories, and new ways for humans and machines to work together. It will also focus a lot on artificial intelligence and cyber-physical systems. These are systems where computers, machines, and humans work closely as one unit. The centre will be based at the dhaRti Foundation Research Park in Dharwad.
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Working for New Technology
One big aim of this centre is teamwork. IIT Dharwad will work with defence public sector companies, small and medium businesses, startups, system builders, and even global defence companies. By working together, they want to move ideas faster from labs to real products. This includes testing, making prototypes, and finally using the technology in real defence systems.
The centre will support research based on Technology Readiness Levels. This means ideas will not stay only on paper. They will be tested step by step until they are ready for real-world use. This will help Indian defence forces get home-grown technology faster and reduce the need to import systems from other countries.
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Karnataka’s Role
Recently, senior leaders from IIT Dharwad and the dhaRti Foundation met Karnataka’s IT, BT and Electronics Minister Priyank M Kharge. They discussed how the centre will grow and what plans will be followed in the coming years. The Karnataka government will closely guide the project through its IT, BT and Electronics Department and the Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society.
The centre will be built in phases. Over time, it is expected to turn North Karnataka into a strong hub for defence technology and deep-tech research.
