DG Prakash Upadhayay of Naval Armament Visits VTU Regional Office

BENGALURU: Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) is advancing its mission to prepare students for future skilling in the Aerospace and Defence domain. As part of this vision, VTU is establishing a Center of Excellence (CoE) in Aerospace and Defence at its Muddenahalli Campus, aligning academic programs, research initiatives, and industry partnerships toward national capability building.

Shri Prakash Upadhayay, Director General of Naval Armament (DGONA), Indian Navy, New Delhi, visited the VTU Nagarbhavi Campus to interact with Team VTU. The visit was coordinated by Dr. Cdr. Devendra Singh, Director  Research and Development (Aerospace and Defence), VTU.

Dr. Cdr. Devendra Singh emphasized the importance of collaboration between academia and the armed forces to ensure the future workforce is prepared for Aerospace and Defence roles. He proposed a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between VTU and the Indian Navy to accelerate indigenous capability building. Singh stressed the need to integrate advanced technologies with military hardware and armament to achieve the national vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat @ 2047.

Innovation Showcase;
DGONA was taken on a walkaround of the Research Centre exhibition, where hardware and software innovations were displayed. Startups in the Aerospace and Defence sector interacted directly with him, receiving appreciation for their contributions to national technological advancement.

Support for Startups and Academia;
DGONA highlighted several Ministry of Defence initiatives supporting startups and academia in building future-ready capabilities. He welcomed VTU’s CoE initiative and emphasized its role in meeting evolving military needs.

MoU and Higher Education Opportunities;
DGONA advised VTU to pursue the MoU proposal with Naval Headquarters and assured his support. He also stressed opportunities for Naval personnel to pursue higher education and upskilling in Aerospace, Defence, and Quantum Technologies.

VTU Director Research and Innovation for Deep Technologies Dr. Ajith Padyana was also attended this program.