Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 5 Jun: Doon University and IIT Madras have jointly organised a two-day national workshop in Dehradun on Convergence of AI, Material Science, and Cyber Security for Smart Manufacturing in Industry 4.0 under Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research (PAIR) programme of Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) of Government of India. This workshop has the objective to train the participants on the applications and possible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Smart Manufacturing, Materials, Sensors and Industry 4.0. IIT Madras continuously holds rank no. 1 in NIRF ranking framework for the last many years.
In addition to Doon University and IIT Madras, there are 6 other institutions (viz. Indian Institute of Information Technology Trichy, Central University of Tamil Nadu, National Institute of Technology Puducherry, NIT Mizoram, Bharathiar University Coimbatore and Cochin University of Science and Technology) that are participating in this conference.
Prof Surekha Dangwal (Vice-Chancellor, Doon University) said that Doon University was incorporated into the Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research (PAIR) network of IIT Madras in February 2025 under the prestigious scheme of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF). She also thanked Prof V Kamakoti (Director of IIT Madras) for choosing Doon University for inclusion in the network of IIT Madras. Prof Dangwal clarified that this partnership aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation in research, aligning with the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Dr Charu Dwivedi (PI and main coordinator from Chemistry Department of Doon University) said that the ANRF’s PAIR programme was launched by Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) in November 2024. She said that the experts from IIT Madras as well as Industry will conduct the sessions in this workshop. Prof John Augustine (IIT Madras), Prof GL.Samuel (IIT Madras), Dr Charchit Kumar (IIT Madras) and Dr Bhupesh Janoti (Data Security Council of India), Dr Anand Phadnis (Siemens Industry) and Dr Mayank Swarnkar (from IIT-BHU) are among the main resource persons in this workshop.
Sessions will be organised on important topics including Robust & Secure Multi-Agent Systems, Role of AI and Metrology in Smart Manufacturing, Advanced Sensors for Smart Manufacturing Systems, Security for Industry 5.0 and AI Native Communications and Building Cyber-Physical Resilience in Industry 4.0.
Prof Dangwal also mentioned that the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) has been established with the ANRF 2023 Act of Parliament of India. It is the vision of the Prime Minister of India that the ANRF will aim to seed, grow and promote research and development (R&D) and foster a culture of research and innovation throughout India’s universities, colleges, research institutions, and R&D laboratories. ANRF will act as an apex body to provide high-level strategic direction of scientific research in the country as per recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP). ANRF will forge collaborations among the industry, academia, and government departments and research institutions, and create an interface mechanism for participation and contribution of industries and State governments in addition to the scientific and line ministries.
It seeks to unlock the research potential of India’s academic landscape by creating strategic partnerships between hub institutions and their spoke partners. She said that the research scholars and faculty members of Doon University are involved in carrying out research in very important areas such as Smart Manufacturing, Clean Energy, Advanced Materials and Industry 4.0 under the PAIR network. IIT Madras is acting as the mentor in these activities. This partnership is expected to enhance Doon University’s research capabilities, providing opportunities for faculty and students to engage in cutting-edge research projects. By collaborating with IIT Madras, Doon University can leverage the expertise and resources available at the hub institution.
