A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the NMICPS Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation (TiHAN) - IIT Hyderabad (IITH) and the Andhra Pradesh Drones Corporation (APDC), a Government of Andhra Pradesh undertaking and the nodal agency for Drone City development in the State, to establish a structured framework for collaboration towards the development of Drone City and the broader Drone ecosystem in Andhra Pradesh. The MoU was signed in the presence of Shri Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, Hon’ble Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Government of India and Prof. B S Murty, Director, IITH.

Under the MoU, TiHAN–IITH will serve as a Technical and Knowledge Partner to APDC, providing technical expertise, research inputs, and strategic support for the conceptualisation, planning, development, and operational support of the Drone City and allied Drone ecosystem initiatives. The collaboration brings together TiHAN–IITH’s expertise in Autonomous Navigation, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Sensors and related emerging technologies with APDC’s mandate for the planning, development, operationalisation, and promotion of Drone City and allied Drone ecosystem infrastructure in Andhra Pradesh.

Prof. B. S. Murty, Director, IIT Hyderabad, said on the partnership, “The development of a strong drone ecosystem requires close collaboration between government, academia, industry and the innovation community. This MoU between Andhra Pradesh Drones Corporation and TiHAN–IIT Hyderabad brings together the State’s vision for Drone City with IIT Hyderabad’s strengths in research, technology development, testing and innovation. We look forward to supporting Andhra Pradesh in building a globally relevant ecosystem for drones through knowledge sharing, technical expertise, capacity building and collaborative innovation. This partnership has the potential to create new opportunities for researchers, startups and industry while contributing to the growth of advanced drone technologies in India.”

The MoU further envisages cooperation in policy, standards and best practices relevant to Drone operations, testing, innovation and ecosystem development. The partnership will also focus on skilling and capacity building through curriculum development, specialised training modules, certification programmes, workshops and other capacity-building initiatives for government officials, industry stakeholders, startups, and students. The collaboration is also expected to provide a platform for joint research projects, proofs of concept, pilot programmes, innovation challenges, and other initiatives aimed at fostering stronger academic–industry–government collaboration within the Drone ecosystem.