Gandhinagar, Sept 29, 2026: Technologies ranging from Ground Penetrating Radar, nano-carbon materials and sensing to safety and connectivity will be among the areas explored under a new research and innovation collaboration between 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.
Formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on September 28, 2026, the collaboration will explore technologies relevant to Suzuki’s micro-mobility initiatives, while creating avenues for student projects, internships, recruitment, research 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. For our students and researchers, the opportunity is to see how ideas move from the lab to address real-world challenges and applications. This collaboration with Suzuki R&D Center India can create those connections while opening new possibilities for our students, researchers and start-up ecosystem,” said Prof Amit Prashant, Dean, External Relations, IIT Gandhinagar.
Mr Taku Sumino, Executive General Manager, Technology Strategy, highlighted the importance of industry–academia collaboration, skill development, and the role of 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. My particular focus is on friction reduction technologies, which will enable higher fuel efficiency and greater electric efficiency, and bring us closer to Suzuki’s vision of minimising energy consumption,” he said.
For students, the collaboration could translate into opportunities beyond conventional classroom and laboratory exposure. The MoU provides for exploring internships, project-based engagements and recruitment of students, researchers and engineers by SRDI and the wider Suzuki group, alongside skill-development and capability-building initiatives.
The collaboration will also connect Suzuki with IITGN’s start-up, incubation and Research Park ecosystem. Through this MoU, the two organisations will explore co-creation programmes, workshops and opportunities on emerging technologies.
The two organisations may also undertake joint research projects and sponsored research, exchange scientific and technical information, organise technical workshops and discussions, facilitate industrial visits, and engage faculty, 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 rather than committing the institutions to any specific project. The agreement itself does not involve any financial commitment, with funding and other project-specific terms to be decided separately, where applicable.
