The Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) on Tuesday signed an MoU with IIT Kanpur Research and Technology Park Foundation (Technopark@iitk) to address the growing R&D requirements and to explore opportunities for collaboration in the Indian aerospace and defence sectors. “With companies in the defence sector preparing to set up their production and manufacturing units in the state under the Defence Industrial Corridor, Technopark@iitk is reaching out to companies to set up their R&D units on its premises and support them in the areas of innovation and research,” said a spokesperson. Speaking at the event, UPEIDA CEO Awanish Kumar Awasthi said the move “will be another milestone for the Defence Industrial Corridor and another big step towards contributing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’." “As private investors get support and assistance from the state, there will be an even greater surge in private participation in the sector. This contributes greatly to India’s goal of achieving a defence production target of US$ 25.00 billion by 2025,” he added. UPEIDA officials said that keeping in mind the “rapidly changing” Indian defence industry, “the authority is not just focusing on expansion of the defence sector but is also looking for arenas to strengthen indigenous manufacturing under the ‘Make in India’ scheme”.
