One day Southern Star Army-Academia and Industry interface held

Secunderabad: Lt Gen JS Sidana, Commandant of the Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, and Colonel Commandant of the Corps of Electronics & Mechanical Engineers emphasized the need to be Atmanirbhar in defence technology.

Addressing as the chief guest at the Southern Star Army – Academia – Industry Interface’ (S² A² I²) at Secunderabad organised by 1 EME Centre under the aegis of HQ Telangana and Andhra Sub Area on Tuesday.

He shared the comings and challenges faced by the defence manufacturers till now in their journey towards Atmanirbhar Bhaat and that the rules of doing business have been simplified and highlighted various initiatives taken by the govt to assist maximum participation by industry in defence production, fast track Research and Development (R&D) and accelerated procurement procedures. Lt Gen JS Sidana also urged the audience to carry forward the existing exchange of ideas to understand the potentials of industry and Academia that may effectively enhance the army’s capabilities through tech infusion and minimise the dependency on expensive unreliable import of warfare eqpt.

He also highlighted the importance of Academia in the development of next-generation defence technologies. He commended the efforts of 1 EME Centre, under the aegis of HQ TASA to be able to get on board representatives from a diverse spectrum of industries and eminent speakers including PA Praveen, Director Aerospace & Defence, Government of Telangana, who delivered the inaugural address. Dr Sandeep Raut, General Manager of Tech Business Incubation of BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus delivered a talk on the topic ‘Opportunities and Potential of Academia to Promote Military Indigenization’ and Dr Kishore Nuthalapati who delivered a talk on ‘Financing Indigenous Manufacturing of Defence Equipment.

Maj Gen Rakesh Manocha, General Officer Commanding, Telangana & Andhra Sub Area, in his opening address, stressed the need to enhance the outreach of the Indian Army for scanning the environment for indigenously manufactured defence-related equipment in the various Industries/ Academic Hubs.

The ‘S2A212, the one-day seminar and exhibition was organized with the sole aim of helping mitigate the challenges of the Indian Army by reconnecting, rekindling, revisiting & re-strengthening bonds, with Industry and Academia. The theme of the event was ‘Challenges faced by Indian Army & Expectations from Industry in Defence Technology’.Major Industries dealing with defence-related products, technologies, and Academic Institutions that could help to mitigate the challenges of the Indian Army participated in the event.

The second half of the seminar was devoted to the technical talks by industry experts on ‘Challenges faced by Industry & Academia in meeting Expectations of Indian Army’. Eminent speakers included Col Rudra B Jadeja, ex-MD & CEO at Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems Ltd Hyderabad, Anish Anthony, Chief Development Officer T-Hub, and Shiva Rao T, a management professional currently serving as the CEO & Chief Adviser at Future Labs, Hyderabad. The technical talk session by the expert speakers was followed by a panel discussion between the Industry, Academia and Armed Forces supporting the Army initiative.

The closing address was delivered by Brig Suresh G, Comdt 1 EME Centre, who appreciated the efforts of Academia and industry to make this event a success. He summarised the findings of the discussion along with the views of expert panellists and some out-of-the-box ideas for implementation by all stakeholders. Overall S2A2I2 was a huge success as it achieved its mandate.