Army inks pact with IIT Gandhinagar to set up R&D cell

Ahmedabad: Indian Army on Tuesday signed an MoU with Indian Institute of Technology-Gandhinagar (IITGN) to set up a Research and Development cell which would focus on the finding solutions for Army's requirements.[caption id="attachment_1657251" align="alignleft" width="380"] Lt Gen Subrata Saha. [/caption]"The cell will work with the faculty and research students to identify problems and possible solutions for theIndian Army," IITGN said in a release. IITGN director Sudhir Jain and Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Planning and System) Lt Gen Subrata Saha signed the MoU at the institute's campus at Palaj in Gandhinagar district. "The MoU will result in meaningful realisation and efficient transfer of research into customised solutions forthe Indian Army," the release quoted Lt Gen Saha as saying.The research cell will deal with Army's requirements such as lighter and stronger bullet-proof jackets and materials to build bunkers, among other things. "There is a whole lot of inventory even in the aircraft engines that can be done in India. We are very hopeful that this indigenous effort will take place at a fast pace through such MoUs," Saha said.Army will also work with the faculty members and students to find possibility of conducting short-term courses and lectures at the institute, the release said. Speaking on the occasion, Jain said, "Indian Army, particularly those (personnel) posted in the harsh weatherconditions face diverse problems and we want to understand and address these problems. The plan is to have a Research Centre at IITGN through which our students and faculty can be in continuous touch with the Indian Army in researching and addressing these problems."