Officers undergoing the Long Air Defence Course at the Army Air Defence College in Gopalpur will now be eligible for an MTech degree in Defence Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar, following a new academic agreement between the two institutions.
The Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was signed by IIT Ropar Director Prof Rajeev Ahuja and Lt Gen Amit Rao, Commandant of the Army Air Defence College, Gopalpur, an official statement said.
Under the arrangement, the Army officers enrolled in the Long Air Defence Course will receive formal academic accreditation through IIT Ropar’s MTech programme. Faculty members from the institute will be assigned as mentors to guide the officers through their dissertations and research projects.
The collaboration will also give the officers access to IIT Ropar’s laboratories and research infrastructure, subject to prior approval. They will further be able to participate in seminars and lectures conducted by the institute’s faculty in both online and offline formats.
The two institutions have also agreed to work jointly on developing technological knowledge in areas of mutual interest, expanding the scope of their academic and research partnership.
“This agreement is a significant step in our continuing engagement with the Indian Army. Our faculty and infrastructure are now directly contributing to the technical education of officers who serve on the frontlines of our national defence. We look forward to deepening this collaboration in the years ahead,” said Prof Rajeev Ahuja, Director, IIT Ropar.
The latest agreement builds on an earlier Memorandum of Understanding for Academic and Research Cooperation signed in December 2022 between Army Training Command, Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence (Army), and IIT Ropar.
The MoA signing was attended by Lt Gen Surinder Singh Mahal, Managing Director of the IIT Ropar Defence Research and Innovation Foundation, and Brigadier Rohit Das. The agreement was coordinated by Dr Sarang Gumfekar, Dean (PG and Research), IIT Ropar, and Virbhadra Singh Rawat, Director, Defence Research and Innovation Foundation.
IIT Ropar has been expanding its engagement with the Indian Army through academic and research initiatives, with its Defence Research and Innovation Foundation playing a key role in strengthening the partnership.
The latest initiative brings formal postgraduate education into the collaboration, linking advanced technical training at IIT Ropar with the professional requirements of Army officers serving in air defence.
