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Telegana, 24th September 2026: BITS Pilani, in collaboration with the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), Pune, convened the Defence & Aerospace Industry Day 2026 at its Hyderabad Campus. The event brought together senior representatives from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), 20 leading defence and aerospace companies, government institutions and strategic-sector organisations, alongside academicians, researchers and technology innovators, to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the development and deployment of indigenous defence technologies.
Held under the theme “Bridging Academia and Industry for Mission-Ready Defence and Aerospace Innovation,” the landmark event focused on accelerating the transition of cutting-edge research into indigenous technologies, deployable capabilities and mission-ready solutions for national security.
Eminent National Leaders Call for Stronger Academia–Industry–Government Synergy
The inaugural session brought together an eminent group of national leaders and senior representatives from the defence, aerospace, strategic and government sectors, including Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy, Former Chairman, DRDO and Member, National Security Advisory Board; Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao, Vice Chancellor, BITS Pilani; Prof. B. H. V. S. Narayana Murthy, Vice Chancellor, DIAT Pune; Dr. Jagannath Nayak, DG, MSS, DRDO; Dr. Komal Kapoor, Chairman & CEO, NFC; Dr. S. V. S. Narayanamurty, CMD, MIDHANI; Shri Rajinder Singh Bhatia, Chairman, Kalyani Strategic Systems Ltd.; Shri Munjal Sharad Shah, MD, Paras Defence; Dr. N. Ranjana, Director, DFTM, DRDO; Shri Suresh Mathew Thomas, Deputy Director, LPSC, Department of Space; and Shri P. A. Praveen, Director, Aerospace & Defence, Government of Telangana.
In his opening remarks, Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy highlighted the strategic importance of Industry Day and emphasised that BITS Pilani and DIAT can emerge as important technology partners in translational research, complementing the national objectives of Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat in defence and aerospace. He called for a strong academia–industry partnership to develop an effective technology roadmap leading towards Viksit Bharat. He brought out the methodology and processes for engagement of industry and urged both institutions to work closely with industry partners to identify and pursue mutually convergent research areas.
Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao, Vice Chancellor, BITS Pilani, emphasised the importance of academia–industry collaboration in converting national research and innovation into national capability, underscoring the need to bring researchers, technology developers and industry together for deployment-oriented outcomes. Such partnerships are essential for building resilient and self-reliant defence and aerospace ecosystem.
Prof. B. H. V. S. Narayana Murthy, Vice Chancellor, DIAT Pune, stressed the strategic importance of the convergence of DRDO, industry and academia, particularly in the context of emerging and asymmetric warfare. He highlighted the need for seamless collaboration to develop agile and mission-ready capabilities capable of addressing complex global security challenges. Dr. Jagannath Nayak, DG (Micro Electronic Devices & Computational Systems), DRDO, called for greater involvement of industry from the early stages of research and development. He mentioned even in core strategic sectors such as missile systems, the same methodology is being followed to enable co-development of next-generation technologies.
Highlighting the importance of an innovation-oriented culture, Shri Rajinder Singh Bhatia, Chairman, Kalyani Strategic Systems Ltd., emphasised that breakthrough deep-tech innovation requires an environment that encourages bold experimentation, risk-taking and learning from failure. Shri Munjal Shah, MD, Paras Defence, reiterated the necessity of Industry-Academia collaboration to find solutions in emerging technologies to meet world class benchmarks.
Dr. N. Ranjana, Director, DFTM, DRDO, elaborated the avenues and scheme available in DRDO for effective engagement of Industry and academia. Shri Suresh Mathew Thomas, Deputy Director, LPSC, explained the various emerging space technologies and the engaging methodology for academia. Shri P. A. Praveen, Director, Aerospace and Defence, Telangana State Government, emphasised that the Telangana state government is promoting an effective ecosystem for the development of Defence and Aerospace technologies and innovation.
Strong Participation from India’s Defence and Strategic Technology Ecosystem
The Industry Day witnessed participation from approximately 200 industry representatives representing 45 leading companies and defence organisations. Senior representatives from DRDO, Department of Space, Department of Atomic Energy, Kalyani Group, Paras Defence, MIDHANI, BEL, Nuclear Fuel Complex and HAL, among others, participated in strategic deliberations.
The event provided a high-value platform for researchers, technology developers and industry leaders to identify opportunities for collaborative R&D, technology development, industrialisation and deployment.
20 MoUs to Build Long-Term Technology Partnerships
A major milestone of the Industry Day was the signing and exchange of 20 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) involving BITS Pilani, DIAT Pune and prominent defence and aerospace industry partners.
The MoUs were signed with:
- L&T PES
- Paras Defence
- Bharat Forge Ltd.
- VEM Technologies
- Ananth Technology
- Zen Technologies
- Digantara Technologies
- ICOMM Telecom
- Axiscades Technologies
- Paradigm IT Cybersecurity
- SMPP Ltd.
- Centum Electronics
- Skyroot Aerospace
- Azistha Industries
- Varsity Industries
- Ebertech Engineering
- Indowings
- Ethos Automation
- Abyom Aerospace
- Sigma Aerospace
These MoUs establish a structured framework for collaborative R&D, technology development, technology transfer and joint commercialisation, creating pathways for research outcomes to move from laboratories towards industrial adoption.
48 Indigenous Technologies Showcased
Adding significant technology depth to the event, BITS Pilani and DIAT Pune jointly showcased 48 indigenous technology capabilities spanning advanced materials, electronics, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, sensors and aerospace engineering.
The technology showcase attracted extensive interaction among industry leaders, researchers, students and dignitaries, creating opportunities to identify technologies with potential for industrial adoption, further development and scaling.
From MoUs to Measurable Outcomes
A key highlight of the Industry Day was the Open House strategic discussion, chaired by Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy and Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao, which provided an open platform for industry representatives to articulate challenges and identify mechanisms for faster technology translation.
Two important directions emerged from the deliberations:
Swift Implementation of MoUs
The leadership emphasised that the signing of MoUs must be followed by regular, structured and time-bound engagement with industry partners, ensuring that the agreements rapidly translate into actionable R&D projects and technology outcomes.
Regular interactions through video conferencing or physical meetings shall be held for effective implementation of MoUs.
The existing mechanisms of Practice School and WILP may be extended to industry partners for various skill-development and project activities.
Joint Collaborative Research Laboratories
The Open House recommended establishing dedicated collaborative research laboratories on campus, supported jointly by government agencies, industry partners and academic institutions. These laboratories can provide a sustained platform for mission-oriented research, prototyping, validation and technology development.
Towards a Mission-Ready, Aatmanirbhar Defence Ecosystem
The Defence & Aerospace Industry Day 2026 marked an important step towards creating a sustained academia–industry–government ecosystem for defence and aerospace innovation. The event concluded with a shared commitment to move beyond conventional research partnerships and create a stronger pipeline from research to technology, technology to capability, and capability to mission-ready deployment.
Through the combined strengths of BITS Pilani, DIAT Pune, government R&D organisations, the Armed Forces and the Indian defence and aerospace industry, the initiative seeks to accelerate indigenous innovation and contribute to the national vision of a technologically advanced, self-reliant and mission-ready defence ecosystem.
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