IIT Gandhinagar, Suzuki R&D Join Hands on Mobility Tech

GANDHINAGAR: Advanced materials, smart sensing and safer, connected mobility could get a research push as IIT Gandhinagar (IITGN) and Suzuki R&D Center India Pvt Ltd (SRDI) have entered into a three-year collaboration to explore emerging technologies for micro-mobility.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed on September 28, will cover areas including Ground Penetrating Radar, nano-carbon materials, sensing, safety and connectivity. The partnership will also create opportunities for student projects, internships, recruitment, research and collaboration with start-ups through IITGN’s Research Park.

Prof Amit Prashant, Dean, External Relations, IIT Gandhinagar, said the partnership could help connect academic research with real-world mobility challenges.

“The future of mobility will be shaped not just by vehicles themselves, but by the technologies behind them, from advanced materials and sensing to safety and connectivity,” he said.

He added that the collaboration would give students and researchers opportunities to understand how laboratory ideas can be developed for practical applications.

Taku Sumino, Executive General Manager, Technology Strategy, SRDI, stressed the importance of industry-academia collaboration and talent development.

“Through this partnership, Suzuki will advance technological research and development, as well as talent exchange, with IIT Gandhinagar,” he said.

Sumino said his particular focus was on friction-reduction technologies, which could support higher fuel efficiency and electric efficiency while reducing energy consumption.

Under the MoU, students and researchers could get opportunities for internships, project-based work, skill development and recruitment with SRDI and the wider Suzuki group.

The partnership will also link Suzuki with IITGN’s start-up, incubation and Research Park ecosystem. Both organisations may conduct workshops, co-creation programmes, technical discussions, industrial visits and joint research.

The agreement provides a framework for collaboration rather than committing either side to a specific project. Individual research initiatives will require separate agreements.

The three-year MoU involves no immediate financial commitment. Funding and other terms for specific projects will be decided separately, where applicable.