The Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar and the Simulator Development Division (SDD) of the Indian Army have signed a pact to collaborate on advanced research, training and innovation in emerging defence technologies, including augmented reality, artificial intelligence and robotics.

The memorandum of understanding was signed online on Tuesday by Brigadier G.S. Bedi, Commandant, SDD, Secunderabad, and Professor Dinakar Pasla, dean (Sponsored Research & Industrial Consultancy), IIT Bhubaneswar.

The partnership aims to leverage academic and technological expertise to enhance defence capabilities, simulation-based training, and innovation-led applications.

Under the agreement, IIT Bhubaneswar will extend academic and research support through its Virtual and Augmented Reality Centre of Excellence (VARCOE, while SDD will provide practical exposure and facilitate collaborative projects in defence simulation and technology prototyping.

The tie-up also covers short-term training and certification programmes, internships for IIT students, access to facilities, and joint innovation initiatives such as hackathons and ideation challenges.

Prof Dinakar said the partnership reinforces IIT Bhubaneswar’s commitment to national defence and technological self-reliance.

Brigadier Bedi noted that the pact would strengthen synergy between defence and academia, promoting indigenous technology solutions aligned with the army’s operational needs.

The agreement will remain in force for five years, enabling sustained collaboration and knowledge exchange in frontier areas of technology development and application.