The Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (IIT Mandi), one of India’s leading IITs, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with JK DELOPT, an ISO 9001-certified company under the JK Organisation. Through this collaboration, IIT Mandi and JK DELOPT will work jointly on research, innovation, and translation of advanced technologies into deployable solutions with real-world impact.
This collaboration envisions a transformative roadmap where IIT Mandi’s research excellence and JK DELOPT’s industry and manufacturing capabilities converge to develop next-generation sovereign technologies. The partnership aims to strengthen national defence preparedness, enhance strategic self-reliance, and extend technological innovations to civilian sectors, positioning India as a global leader in intelligent, secure, and indigenous solutions. Moreover, this MoU aims to establish a long-term industry-academia partnership focused on indigenous technology development, aligned with the national priorities of Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Commenting on the collaboration, Prof. Laxmidhar Behera, Director, IIT Mandi, said, “IIT Mandi remains deeply committed to indigenisation and national self-reliance in critical technologies. The collaboration with JK DELOPT marks an important step in strengthening India’s capabilities in Embedded Systems and Electro-Optics for defence and retail applications. Such academia–industry partnerships are central to IIT Mandi’s vision of translating cutting-edge research into deployable, indigenous solutions with real-world impact.”
The agreement was formally signed and exchanged by the Dean (Sponsored Research & Industrial Consultancy), IIT Mandi and the CEO, JK DELOPT, in the presence of the Director, Registrar, senior faculty members, and representatives from both institutions. On the occasion, the CEO of JK DELOPT was felicitated by the Director, IIT Mandi, recognising the company’s contribution to indigenous technology development.
Under the MoU, both partners will collaborate on joint research and development projects, technology demonstrations, and prototype development in areas such as electro-optic systems, embedded platforms, AI-integrated vision systems, and intelligent surveillance solutions. The partnership also envisages student internships, industry exposure, expert lectures, and collaborative supervision of research scholars, strengthening skill development and industry readiness.
The collaboration draws significant strength from IIT Mandi’s Visual Intelligence and Machine Learning (VIML) Group, led by Dr. Dinesh Singh, whose research focuses on computer vision, multimodal AI, and vision-based perception systems. Ongoing research efforts include UAV-based defence applications, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, accident anticipation models, forensic vision technologies, and real-time monitoring solutions, alongside broader applications in healthcare and safety.
Dr. Singh’s expertise in computer vision, vision-language models (VLMs), and intelligent perception systems will play a key role in advancing the partnership’s objectives, particularly in developing AI-driven electro-optic and embedded solutions for strategic and interactive applications.