Centre of Competence inaugurated at IIT-Tirupati

Department of Science and Technology (DST) Secretary Abhay Karandikar formally inaugurated a Centre of Competence (CoC) at the Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati (IIT-T) in the presence of IIT-T Director K.N. Satyanarayana and Esri India Managing Director Agendra Kumar.

Esri India had tied up with IIT-Tirupati’s Navavishkar i-Hub Foundation (IITTNiF) to establish the centre with the intention of driving geospatial education, research and industry applications, reinforcing India’s position as a global leader in GIS innovation.

The centre will provide students, researchers, and startups with access to advanced GIS tools, training modules, and real-world applications. This collaboration is stated to foster breakthrough developments in land management, urban planning, transportation and drone-based geospatial analytics.

Professor Karandikar highlighted the need for strengthening collaboration between academia and the industry to build a skilled geospatial workforce in the country. “Initiatives like these can not only equip the students with the right skill sets for better job opportunities but also help them gain spatial intelligence and develop solutions to solve the challenges faced by the country”.

IIT-T Director Professor Satyanarayana expressed delight at the opportunity to collaborate with Esri India. “We aim to cultivate a skilled generation of geospatial experts ready to drive technological and economic progress”, he averred.