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A distinguished delegation from Aditya Birla Science & Technology Pvt. Ltd. (ABSTC) visited IIT DHARWAD on 26 February 2026 to explore potential avenues for academic-industry collaboration. The visiting team included Dr. Vilas Tathavadkar, Chief Technology Officer - Aluminium Smelter and Copper & Metals and Mines Functional Head, ABSTC & Hindalco; Mr. Hirak Mitra, Vice President-Hindalco Innovation Centre (Alumina), Belagavi; and Mr. Pratik Kundu, AGM-Hindalco Innovation Centre (Alumina), Belagavi.
During the interaction, the ABSTC team expressed keen interest in offering summer internship opportunities to IIT DHARWAD M.Tech students for a period of two months, with the possibility of extending the engagement up to six months as part of their Master’s project work at the company’s Belagavi chemical plant, which is involved in the production of alumina powders. The company will provide well-defined problem statements and extend co- guidance to the students during their tenure. Mr. Hirak Mitra and Mr. Pratik Kundu will supervise and mentor the research activities at the plant. The subsequent steps will include coordination with the company’s HR team to interact with interested M.Tech students and facilitate the internship process.
The delegation also proposed that IIT DHARWAD faculty and students visit their Belagavi plant to gain first-hand exposure to industrial operations and to identify potential research areas for collaboration. They also briefly highlighted the Aditya Birla Group’s research activities across different locations, including their collaborations with other IITs.
The team further expressed interest in strengthening engagement through expert lectures and seminars by their professionals at IIT DHARWAD. They also welcomed faculty and student visits to their facilities for academic exposure. The team expressed interest in formalizing the collaboration through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with clearly structured goals in the near future to foster long-term collaboration. Additionally, they conveyed interest in establishing a Centre of Excellence in mutually identified areas of research.
The IIT DHARWAD representatives present during the meeting included Mr. Amit Biradar (Ph.D. Scholar, MMAE); Prof [Ms]. Anbukkarasi Rajendran (MMAE); Prof. Suvamay Jana (Chemical Engg.,); PROF. Ramjee Repaka (MMAE and Dean, Faculty Welfare); PRof. C. Ravikumar (Chemical Engg., and Associate Dean, General Outreach); PRof. Koteswararao Kondepu (Computer Science & Engg., and Dean, R&D); Prof. Giridhar Rajesh Bande (Civil & Infrastructure Engg.,); Prof. Aniket Vasantrao Kataware (Civil & Infrastructure Engg.,); and Prof. Shashwata Ghosh (Chemical Engg.,).
The visit marks a significant step toward strengthening industry-academia partnerships and creating meaningful opportunities for collaborative research, student internships, and innovation-driven initiatives between IIT DHARWAD and the Aditya Birla Group.
