IIT Gandhinagar, Suzuki R&D Center to collaborate on emerging mobility technologies

Gandhinagar: The Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) and Suzuki R&D Center India Private Limited (SRDI), the research and development arm of Suzuki Motor Corporation in India, have entered into a three-year collaboration to explore new technologies for mobility and create opportunities for students, researchers and start-ups.

The collaboration was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on September 28, 2026. Areas of research will include Ground Penetrating Radar, nanocarbon materials, sensing, safety and connectivity, among other technologies relevant to Suzuki’s micro-mobility initiatives.

The partnership will also provide opportunities for student projects, internships and recruitment, as well as research collaborations and engagement with start-ups through IITGN’s Research Park.

“The future of mobility will be shaped not just by vehicles themselves, but by the technologies behind them, from advanced materials and sensing to safety and connectivity,” said Prof Amit Prashant, Dean, External Relations, IIT Gandhinagar.

He said the collaboration would give students and researchers an opportunity to understand how ideas move from laboratories to real-world applications, while creating new opportunities for the institute’s research and start-up ecosystem.

Taku Sumino, Executive General Manager, Technology Strategy, Suzuki, highlighted the importance of industry-academia collaboration, skill development and partnerships in addressing emerging challenges, including environmental sustainability.

“Through this partnership, Suzuki will advance technological research and development, as well as talent exchange, with IIT Gandhinagar,” he said, adding that his particular focus was on friction-reduction technologies that could improve fuel efficiency and electric efficiency and contribute to reducing energy consumption.

For students, the collaboration is expected to provide opportunities beyond conventional classroom and laboratory exposure. The MoU provides for internships, project-based engagements and recruitment of students, researchers and engineers by SRDI and the wider Suzuki group, along with skill-development and capability-building initiatives.

The partnership will also connect Suzuki with IITGN’s start-up, incubation and Research Park ecosystem. The two organisations will explore co-creation programmes, workshops and opportunities in emerging technologies.

Under the MoU, IITGN and SRDI may also undertake joint and sponsored research projects, exchange scientific and technical information, organise technical workshops and discussions, facilitate industrial visits, and engage faculty members, researchers and experts. Individual projects will be taken up through separate agreements between the two organisations.

The three-year MoU provides a broad framework for collaboration and does not commit the two organisations to any specific project. It also does not involve any financial commitment, with funding and other project-specific terms to be decided separately, where applicable. DeshGujarat