New Delhi: To meet future technology challenges, the DRDO has realigned and augmented research areas, adding topics like compound semiconductor technologies, across its Industry-Academia Centres of Excellence, an official said on Friday.
The new realignment is expected to encourage stronger interdisciplinary, multi-institutional research collaboration engaging industry and academia, minimise duplicative efforts, and maximise resource utilisation across the institutions, said the Directorate of Futuristic Technology Management (DFTM) in a statement.
The move will also ensure that Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Industry Academia – Centres of Excellence (DIA-CoEs) contribute meaningfully to addressing future technology challenges and shaping the future of defence technology, it said.
The DFTM at the DRDO headquarters in New Delhi released the redefined and augmented research verticals to enhance the focus of directed research.
Some of the new areas added to the bouquet of research verticals are ‘Compound Semiconductor Technologies’ at IITB, ‘Laser Beam Combining based Communication, Power Transmission & Manufacturing and Extraction & Recycling of Materials’ at IITH, ‘Software Defined Radios’ at IITK, ‘Emerging RF Technologies’ at IITR and ‘Cryptography and Information Security’ at IITKgp and many more, it said.
The realignment and augmentation of research areas include future technology requirements of DRDO laboratories and deep technology research areas, it said.
The existing 65 Research Verticals distributed across 15 DIA-CoEs have been redesigned into 82 Research Verticals.
The realignment is part of a strategic effort to refine the DIA-CoEs’ research focus and introduce cutting-edge deep technology research areas to strengthen the overall research outcomes.
Last week, the DRDO said that a groundbreaking breakthrough had been achieved in DIA-CoE at IIT Hyderabad in the Large Area Additive Manufacturing (LAAM) System.
The application demonstration of the LAAM System is based on powder-based directed energy deposition technology for the fabrication of rocket components.
The indigenously designed machine has a build volume of 1m x 1m x 3m, which makes it one of the largest metal additive manufacturing machines in India.
“The process is based on Laser and Blown-Powder based Direct Energy Deposition technology and employs dual heads for thermal balancing and speed,” it said.
Secretary, Department of Defence R&D, and Chairman DRDO Samir V. Kamat congratulated DIA-CoE, IIT Hyderabad for the design, development and demonstration of the LAAM System.
This will open new possibilities for large-scale production of metal parts, paving the way for growth and innovation in additive manufacturing in the country, he said.
(IANS)
