The Indian Institute of Technology Dharwad has secured ₹18 crore to establish a Strategic Centre of Excellence in Defence Technology and Industry 5.0, strengthening India’s push towards deep-tech research and indigenous innovation in line with Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India (Defence).
The Centre will focus on next-generation defence systems, advanced manufacturing, human–machine collaboration, and AI-driven cyber-physical technologies. Anchored at the dhaRti Foundation Research Park, it will bring together academia, defence PSUs, MSMEs, startups, system integrators, and global OEMs to accelerate TRL-driven research, prototyping, and deployment.
In this regard, Prof. Venkappayya R. Desai, Director, IIT Dharwad; Rakshit Kalyani, COO, dhaRti Foundation; and Prof. Somashekara M A, Associate Dean (R&D External), met Priyank M Kharge, Hon’ble Minister for IT, BT and Electronics, Government of Karnataka, to discuss the Centre’s roadmap.
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The Centre will be rolled out in phases under the oversight of the Karnataka IT, BT and Electronics Department and the Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society, positioning North Karnataka as a key defence and deep-tech innovation hub.
