IIT Guwahati Inks MoU with Industry Partners to Set Up Commercial Drone-Flying School

IITG signed an agreement with Assam Electronics Development Corporation Limited (AMTRON) and R C Hobbytech Solutions (RCH) to collaborate on strengthening and expanding drone-based training, research and development, and manufacturing for various sectors such as agriculture, disaster management, wildlife conservation, and health care.

On January 18, the MoU was signed by IITG's officiating director Prof. Parameswar K Iyer, AMTRON managing director S Sundar, and RCH co-founder Biswajit Dey.

"The three organisations will collaborate and engage actively in research and development activities, and members of the IITG Drone Centre and Technology Incubation Hub will be an integral part of this endeavour," Iyer said in a press release.

The commercial drone-flying school will provide commercial drone flying refresher courses as well as other related advisory and consultancy services such as renewing their drone flying licence, obtaining necessary commercial drone permits, and assisting students in preparing for drone flying tests.

According to the release, the school will also connect students with organisations in need of professional drone pilots. Professional courses will include drone-based survey and mapping, Geographic Information Systems courses, and coding and AI-related curricula.

IITG will work with industry partners to develop a few prototype drones with the goal of getting them certified by the Quality Council of India (QCI), and the Institute will provide all of the necessary machinery, software, related hardware, and other utilities.

To identify and respond to any disaster in Assam, a Disaster Response Management System will be developed. A team of students and professionals, as well as ready-to-fly surveillance and payload delivery drones, will be assembled for emergency response, according to the release.

IITG will develop drones to meet the state's needs for disaster containment, AMTRON will provide communication support, and RCH will provide the necessary technical expertise in developing the drones and associated systems.

In addition, a Disaster Response Cell will be established at IIT Guwahati, which will be run by the Institute's Drone Helpline Student Volunteer Team and the AMTRON Drone Team, according to the release.