Photo: Dennis C. Joy
Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) entered a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Volvo group in India to pursue collaborative research in the field of transportation and automobiles. As per the MoU, Volvo Group Trucks Technology (GTT), the global research, engineering and development arm of Volvo, along with IISc, will embark on research and development in future automotive technologies. The MoU was signed by Mr. V. Rajarajan, Registrar of IISc and Dr. Jan-Ove Östensen, VP Advanced Technology & Research, Volvo Group.
IISc stands at the helm of research in the country and has pushed to bridge the gap between research and industrial applications. Through a number of collaboration with industry and other academia, the Institute has been pursuing research that has been consistently creating social impact and improves our day to day lives. “IISc is the leading academic institution which does pioneering research in critical technologies relevant to the automotive sector with an ultimate aim to benefit society. VOLVO has immense knowledge in understanding of next generation requirements to build a sustainable environment for societal benefit. The complementary nature of both institutions present a perfect opportunity to work together to create path-breaking frugal solutions for India, Asia and take them globally” remarks Prof. KVS Hari, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Electrical Communications Engineering.
The Volvo Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment and marine and industrial engines. With over 100,000 employees, the group run production facilities in 18 countries and sells its products in more than 190 markets. The Volvo Group is a publicly-held company headquartered in Göteborg, Sweden. The group also collaborates globally with institutes including, Penn State University in the US; INSA in France; and Chalmers University of Technology; Mälardalen University and the University of Skövde in Sweden.
“At the Volvo Group our success is largely due to our ability to continuously develop new innovative solutions that assist customers in their operations and that increase safety and reduce the environmental impact” remarks Mr. Kamal Bali.
The MoU will be for a period of 5 years and would see the collaboration looking in to a wide range of automotive technologies. The research will primarily focus on trucks which could further extend to buses, construction equipment and marine applications. “Transportation is the next transformational area, which will impact society globally. IISc and VOLVO have a lot of interest in this area where research, innovation and building technologies for the automotive sector is most important” says Prof. Hari.
With expectations of autonomous vehicles and smart cities running high, collaborations between academia and industry has become an important partnership. “Our transport solution products are amongst the best in the world. This means engineers and technologists are our focal point in order to understand vehicle systems, design, testing and develop the next generation of products and services for the transport and infrastructure industries.Such collaboration with academia is important for Volvo Groups strategic long-term initiative to support the delivery of the Group’s Vision. The intention of collaboration is connecting Volvo Group expertise with global academic research and innovation environments in critical technology areas” concludes Dr. Jan-Ove Östensen.”
The MoU leverages the vast experience of Volvo in the transportation sector, with the immense knowledge generation of IISc, to contribute to the society at large. “This MoU is a significant event to foster strong linkage between VOLVO and IISc which is mutually beneficial with an aim to transform the landscape of transportation for societal benefit” concludes Prof. Hari.