Kia India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Tirupati to promote research-led innovation, enhance engineering expertise, and nurture future-ready talent in India’s rapidly evolving mobility sector.
Under the five-year agreement, the South Korean automaker will invest ₹35 crore to support academic infrastructure, collaborative research programmes, and student development initiatives at IIT-Tirupati.
On the occasion, Gwanggu Lee, Managing Director and CEO, Kia India, said:
“This partnership is not merely the signing of an MoU — it is the coming together of shared values and a unified vision for the future of mobility and engineering in India. By joining forces with IIT-Tirupati, we aim to nurture highly skilled engineers and technologists, equipped to lead advancements in sustainable mobility and industrial manufacturing.”
Industry-academia collaboration
The partnership involves creation of a dedicated Makers Laboratory, a state-of-the-art collaborative space at IIT-Tirupati designed to foster cross-disciplinary innovation, where students would be encouraged to conceptualise, design, and develop functional prototypes.
This collaboration aims to establish the institution as a prominent centre of excellence in advanced manufacturing, electric mobility, and sustainable automotive technologies.
In this industry-academia integration, pre-placement offers for students are also planned.
