NIT Raipur, AKSI Aerospace join hands, set-up Centre Of Excellence: What will the new partnership focus on?
The National Institute of Technology (NIT), Raipur, has partnered with AKSI Aerospace Group to establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) focused on aerospace and autonomous technologies, with plans to connect academic research with industrial applications and strengthen India's indigenous drone technology capabilities.
The proposed centre will work on areas such as droneplatforms, flight control systems, propulsion, batteries, advanced materials and autonomous technologies. It aims to give students and researchers hands-on exposure to engineering challenges, including prototyping, manufacturing, system integration and testing, according to a press release.
The initiative is intended to take research beyond academic settings by helping convert ideas into practical prototypes and industry-oriented solutions. It will also facilitate collaborative research, student projects, technical training and industry mentorship, with the broader aim of developing talent equipped to work in the aerospace and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sectors.
Alongside the Centre of Excellence, AKSI Aerospace plans to establish a manufacturing facility in Raipur. The proposed plant is expected to complement the centre's research and training activities by connecting technology development with industrial production.
The partnership is expected to bring together NIT Raipur's academic and research expertise and AKSI Aerospace's industry experience. This could create opportunities for students and researchers to engage with practical engineering and manufacturing processes while working on technologies relevant to the aerospace and drone industries.
Pankaj Akula, Group Managing Director of AKSI Aerospace Group, stated the centre aims to expose students to real-world challenges and help turn research into practical solutions.
“The proposed manufacturing facility in Raipur would further strengthen this approach by creating opportunities to connect technology development with manufacturing capabilities. Such initiatives are important to build skilled talent and advancing India’s self-reliance in aerospace and autonomous systems,” he added.
The CoE is expected to support the development of technologies that could find applications in agriculture, logistics, surveillance and disaster response. Its focus on UAV systems and autonomous technologies is also intended to encourage solutions for industrial and other operational requirements.
AKSI Aerospace Group operates through nine specialised companies that develop UAV platforms and key components, comprising navigation systems, cameras, batteries, propulsion systems and airframe composites.
Its technologies cater to applications spanning agriculture, industrial operations, cargo transportation, surveillance and security. The proposed centre and manufacturing plant are expected to provide a platform to connect such industry requirements with research, technical training and indigenous technology.
Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers. <br><br> With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations. <br><br> Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’. <br><br> He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune. <br><br> He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP. <br><br> He can be reached on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/garvit-bhirani">LinkedIn</a> or on <a href="https://x.com/GarvitBhirani">@garvitbhirani</a> on X
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