IIT Bhubaneswar has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with IG Drones, a drone-tech and AI company, to establish an Advanced Drone Excellence Centre at the IIT Bhubaneswar Research and Entrepreneurship Park. The centre will focus on disaster management research and development.
A media statement said this collaboration marks a significant milestone in advancing drone technology research and development in the field of disaster management, especially as India is a disaster-prone country.
The new Centre of Excellence (CoE) will be dedicated to research and development in disaster management applications of drone technology. This initiative aims to enhance the capabilities of drones in responding to natural calamities, leveraging IG Drones’ experience in disaster-prone areas.
Active since 2019
IG Drones has been active in disaster management since 2019, with experience from its work in Uttarakhand’s avalanche-affected regions, Sikkim’s landslides, and Odisha’s cyclone-prone areas. This expertise positions IG Drones uniquely to drive innovation in this critical field, it said.
The partnership with IIT Bhubaneswar Research and Entrepreneurship Park aims to further advance the development of drone technologies that can be deployed effectively during emergencies, providing critical support in disaster response and recovery efforts. The MoU outlines the collaboration’s key objectives, including the development of drone technologies and research methodologies tailored for disaster management.
The Advanced Drone Excellence Centre will be situated in a dedicated space of approximately 2000 sq ft equipped with facilities to support research and development initiatives.
Quoting Soobhankar Pati, CEO of IIT Bhubaneswar Research and Entrepreneurship Park, the statement said: “With an existing AR and VR Center of Excellence, numerous AI and AR/VR startups incubated at IIT, and exceptional faculty research in Earth, Ocean, and Climate Sciences, we look forward to jointly advancing solutions for disaster management under this MoU.”
Bodhisattwa Sanghapriya, CEO of IG Drones, said: “Our partnership with IIT Bhubaneswar represents a significant advancement in disaster management through drone technology. By focusing on research and development, we aim to enhance the effectiveness of drone applications in disaster scenarios, drawing from our extensive field experience and expertise. This initiative will drive innovation and contribute significantly to improving disaster response and recovery capabilities.”