Roorkee, June 24: In line with its vision of driving innovation-led industrial transformation and sustainable development, the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) has strengthened strategic partnerships with NAMTECH and ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India), creating new avenues for research, talent development, and industry collaboration.
Led by Prof. K.K. Pant, Director, IIT Roorkee, the delegation included Prof. Andallib Tariq, Prof. Absar Ahmad Kazmi, Prof. Manish Mishra, and Prof. Komal Tripathi, who engaged with academic and industry leaders to explore collaborative pathways in sustainability, advanced manufacturing, circular economy, digital technologies, and talent development.
These engagements reflect IIT Roorkee’s broader vision of creating transformative industry-academia ecosystems that not only advance frontier research but also translate knowledge into scalable solutions to address national and global challenges.
As part of this vision, IIT Roorkee is leading the establishment of the Research and Experiential Learning Centre on Sustainable Energy and Circularity with support from NTPC under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative. The Centre aims to advance applied research, workforce development, and industry engagement in areas critical to sustainable manufacturing and India’s energy transition.
To operationalise this initiative, IIT Roorkee and NAMTECH signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA). The MoA was signed by Prof Andallib Tariq (Centre Coordinator) in the presence of Prof. K.K. Pant (Director, IIT Roorkee), Prof. Vivek Kumar Malik (Dean, Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy, Dr Hafeez Ibrahim Hafeezur Rehman (Director General & CEO, NAMTECH) and other project team leaders from IIT Roorkee.
A key highlight of the visit was the inaugural meeting of this Centre at NAMTECH, which combines IIT Roorkee’s research excellence with NAMTECH’s experiential learning ecosystem and deep industry engagement. The meeting brought together institutional stakeholders to deliberate on the Centre’s governance framework, implementation roadmap, laboratory development, curriculum design, and workforce transformation initiatives.
The Centre will leverage IIT Roorkee’s research excellence and NAMTECH’s experiential learning framework to foster innovation in key areas such as green hydrogen, circular economy, ESG analytics, industrial water management, smart manufacturing, and sustainable infrastructure. It is envisioned as a platform that bridges academia, industry, and policy to build capabilities for the industries of the future.
Prof. K.K. Pant, Director, IIT Roorkee, said, “The future of manufacturing will be defined by sustainability, advanced technologies, and skilled human capital. IIT Roorkee is committed to building transformative partnerships that translate research into impact, accelerate industrial innovation, and contribute to India’s journey towards becoming a globally competitive and sustainable economy.”
Building on the momentum of the Centre and its collaboration with NAMTECH, IIT Roorkee further expanded its industry-academia ecosystem through a strategic collaboration with AM/NS India, one of India’s leading integrated steel producers. A major milestone of the visit was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between IIT Roorkee and AM/NS India, formalizing collaboration in sustainability, advanced manufacturing, research, technology development, and talent transformation.
The MoU was exchanged by Dr. Arvind Bodhankar, Chief Sustainability Officer, AM/NS India, and Prof Pant, Director, IIT Roorkee, in the presence of Mr. Ashutosh Telang, CHRO, and Mr. Amit Harlalka, CFO, AM/NS India, along with senior leadership from AM/NS India and NAMTECH.
The partnership establishes a framework for joint initiatives in advanced manufacturing, digital technologies, sustainability, executive education, and industry-focused research with a particular focus on the steel and manufacturing sectors. It brings together the strengths of academia and industry to accelerate technology development, workforce transformation, and the creation of future-ready talent and leadership pipelines. NAMTECH will play an enabling role in implementing joint programmes and initiatives emerging from this partnership.
During interactions with AM/NS India leadership and technical teams, the IIT Roorkee delegation gained first-hand insights into world-class manufacturing systems, automation, digitalisation, sustainability initiatives, and operational excellence. The discussions opened avenues for collaborative research and innovation in sustainable industrial technologies and next-generation manufacturing practices.
The visit to the Dholakia Group’s diamond manufacturing facility further opened avenues for collaboration at the intersection of advanced manufacturing, digital technologies, and skill development, demonstrating how emerging technologies are transforming traditional industries.
Dr. Hafeez, Director General, NAMTECH, said, “The partnership between IIT Roorkee, NAMTECH, and industry leaders represents a powerful model for reimagining education and innovation. By integrating research excellence with experiential learning and industrial relevance, we are creating platforms that can drive sustainable growth and workforce transformation at scale.”
Dr. Arvind Bodhankar, Chief Sustainability Officer, AM/NS India, said, “The future of manufacturing will be defined by sustainability, innovation, and collaboration. Through our engagement with IIT Roorkee and NAMTECH, we aim to co-create technologies and talent that can enable resilient and responsible industrial ecosystems.”
Through these strategic engagements, IIT Roorkee continues to strengthen its role as a catalyst for India’s transition to sustainable, globally competitive manufacturing. By fostering deep partnerships across academia and industry, the Institute is creating innovation ecosystems that generate knowledge, develop future-ready talent, and deliver technologies and solutions that contribute to national development and global sustainability goals.