IIT Hyderabad’s TiHAN signs MoU with AP Drones Corporation for drone city

TiHAN-IITH and Andhra Pradesh Drones Corporation signed an MoU to collaborate on developing a drone city and wider ecosystem in Andhra Pradesh. The partnership will provide technical expertise, research support, training, policy inputs, joint projects and innovation initiatives

Sangareddy: A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation (TiHAN) at IIT Hyderabad (IITH) and the Andhra Pradesh Drones Corporation (APDC) to establish a structured framework for collaboration towards the development of a drone city and the broader drone ecosystem in the State. The MoU was signed in the presence of Union Minister of Civil Aviation Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu and IITH Director Prof B S Murty.

Under the MoU, TiHAN-IITH will serve as a technical and knowledge partner to APDC, providing technical expertise, research inputs and strategic support for the conceptualisation, planning, development and operational support of the drone city and allied drone ecosystem initiatives.

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The collaboration will bring together TiHAN-IITH’s expertise in autonomous navigation, unmanned aerial systems (UAS), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), sensors and related emerging technologies with APDC’s mandate for the planning, development, operationalisation and promotion of the drone city and allied drone ecosystem infrastructure in Andhra Pradesh.

Prof Murty said the development of a strong drone ecosystem would require close collaboration among the government, academia, industry and the innovation community. He said the MoU between APDC and TiHAN-IITH would bring together the State’s vision for a drone city with IITH’s strengths in research, technology development, testing and innovation.

“We look forward to supporting Andhra Pradesh in building a globally relevant ecosystem for drones through knowledge sharing, technical expertise, capacity building and collaborative innovation,” he said.

The Director observed that the partnership had the potential to create new opportunities for researchers, startups and industry while contributing to the growth of advanced drone technologies in India.

The MoU further envisages cooperation in policy, standards and best practices relevant to drone operations, testing, innovation and ecosystem development. The partnership will also focus on skilling and capacity building through curriculum development, specialised training modules, certification programmes, workshops and other capacity-building initiatives for government officials, industry stakeholders, startups and students.

The collaboration is also expected to provide a platform for joint research projects, proofs of concept, pilot programmes, innovation challenges and other initiatives aimed at fostering stronger academic-industry-government collaboration within the drone ecosystem.