IIT Gandhinagar, Gujarat ATS Join Hands For Tech-Driven Policing

GANDHINAGAR :  IIT Gandhinagar and the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) have joined hands to bring advanced research closer to real-world policing, with a new three-year MoU focused on technology, research and professional training.

The agreement was signed on September 15 by Sunil Joshi, IPS, Deputy Inspector General, Gujarat ATS, and Prof Vimal Mishra, Dean R&D, IITGN. IITGN Director Prof Rajat Moona, faculty members and senior Gujarat ATS officials attended the signing.

The partnership will support joint research and development, specialised workshops, webinars, capacity-building programmes, internships and technology-driven projects. Researchers, subject experts and professionals from both sides will work on areas linked to operational needs.

“For us, this partnership is about taking research and technology beyond the laboratory and connecting it with real-world needs,” said Prof Rajat Moona, Director, IITGN.

He added that Gujarat ATS brings practical expertise and challenges, while IITGN can contribute research and academic capabilities.

Prof Vimal Mishra said the agreement will help create technology-driven solutions while giving students and researchers greater exposure to real-world problems.

Gujarat ATS DIG Sunil Joshi said the partnership is part of Project Spandan, which seeks to bring advanced research into modern policing.

“It is a true convergence of science and strategy,” Joshi said. “By bringing our on-ground challenges to top academic minds, we will co-develop bespoke, actionable tools for intelligence and digital investigations.”

The MoU will also allow Gujarat ATS personnel to explore IITGN’s Executive Masters and other academic programmes. ATS experts may contribute to online courses as guest lecturers, instructors or co-instructors and provide inputs for professional degree curricula.

For IITGN students, the partnership could open opportunities for internships and jobs with Gujarat ATS, subject to eligibility and selection requirements.

Potential research areas include data science and decision-making, machine learning applications, energy policy, energy sustainability, composites and computational fluid dynamics.

The agreement also covers confidentiality, intellectual property, publications and financial arrangements for individual projects. It will remain effective for three years, unless extended, amended or terminated by mutual agreement.