Indian Institute of Technology Mandi has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with JK DELOPT, an ISO 9001-certified company under the JK Organisation, to collaborate on research, innovation and translation of advanced technologies into deployable solutions.
The partnership aims to combine IIT Mandi’s academic research capabilities with JK DELOPT’s industry and manufacturing expertise to develop next-generation technologies in embedded systems and electro-optics. The collaboration is expected to contribute to national defence preparedness, strategic self-reliance and the development of indigenous solutions with applications across both defence and civilian sectors.
According to the institutions, the MoU establishes a long-term industry–academia framework aligned with national priorities such as Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat, with a focus on sovereign technology development.
Commenting on the collaboration, Laxmidhar Behera, director of IIT Mandi, said the institute remains committed to indigenisation and national self-reliance in critical technologies. He noted that the partnership with JK DELOPT would strengthen capabilities in embedded systems and electro-optics for defence and retail applications, while enabling the translation of research into real-world solutions.
The agreement was formally signed and exchanged by the dean (sponsored research and industrial consultancy), IIT Mandi, and the chief executive officer of JK DELOPT, in the presence of senior faculty members and representatives from both organisations. The CEO of JK DELOPT was felicitated during the event in recognition of the company’s contribution to indigenous technology development.
Under the MoU, the two partners will collaborate on joint research and development projects, technology demonstrations and prototype development in areas including electro-optic systems, embedded platforms, AI-integrated vision systems and intelligent surveillance solutions. The collaboration also includes provisions for student internships, industry exposure, expert lectures and joint supervision of research scholars to strengthen skill development and industry readiness.
A key component of the partnership is IIT Mandi’s Visual Intelligence and Machine Learning (VIML) Group, led by Dinesh Singh, which focuses on computer vision, multimodal AI and vision-based perception systems. Ongoing research areas include UAV-based defence applications, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, accident anticipation models, forensic vision technologies and real-time monitoring solutions, along with applications in healthcare and safety.
Singh’s expertise in computer vision, vision-language models and intelligent perception systems is expected to support the development of AI-driven electro-optic and embedded solutions for strategic and interactive applications.
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