Hyderabad: BITS Pilani, the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), Pune, and leading defence and aerospace organisations have signed 20 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to establish a structured, long-term framework for collaborative research and development, technology transfer and joint commercialisation.

The agreements were signed during Defence & Aerospace Industry Day 2026, held at the BITS Pilani Hyderabad campus on Tuesday.

The event also featured a joint showcase by BITS Pilani and DIAT Pune, highlighting 48 indigenous technology capabilities across advanced materials, electronics, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, sensors and aerospace engineering.

The technology showcase attracted participation from industry delegates, researchers, students and dignitaries, who explored opportunities for industrial adoption, technology transfer and large-scale deployment of the innovations.

Held under the theme “Bridging Academia and Industry for Mission-Ready Defence and Aerospace Innovation,” the summit brought together academic researchers, defence and strategic-sector leaders, policymakers and industry representatives. The discussions focused on accelerating the transition of advanced research from laboratories to mission-ready technologies supporting national security.

Around 125 industry representatives from 45 leading companies and defence organisations participated in the event. Senior officials and representatives from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Department of Space, Department of Atomic Energy, MIDHANI, BEL and HAL also took part in high-level deliberations.

DIAT Pune Vice Chancellor Dr BHVS Narayana Murthy highlighted the importance of closer collaboration between academia, industry and DRDO in addressing the challenges posed by modern warfare.

“The convergence of DRDO, industry and academia is of paramount importance in the context of present-day asymmetric warfare,” he said.

He added that building agile and mission-ready capabilities requires seamless collaboration among stakeholders to stay ahead of increasingly complex global threats.

The MoUs and technology showcase mark a significant step towards strengthening industry-academia partnerships and accelerating the development, transfer and commercialisation of indigenous technologies in India’s defence and aerospace sectors.