Korean automaker Kia announced Wednesday that it has partnered with a leading engineering education institute in Andhra Pradesh, India, to nurture local automotive talent and strengthen the country's future mobility capabilities.
According to Kia, the company signed a multilateral memorandum of understanding on Friday with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Tirupati to forge collaboration between industry and academia.
A member of India’s prominent network of 23 engineering universities known as the IITs, the campus is located in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, a southeastern state of India where Kia operates its local production facilities.
As part of the partnership, Kia pledged 350 million rupees ($4.12 million) in funding to the university by 2029. The funds will support the expansion of educational facilities, internship programs, the establishment of an automotive-specialized major, scholarships, joint industry-academia projects and research on sustainable future mobility, the company said.
In particular, the two organizations agreed to establish a research center equipped with cutting-edge technology, aimed at providing a space for students to design and develop prototypes as part of their research.
“We intend to develop skilled engineers and technicians who will lead advancements in the manufacturing sector and sustainable mobility through our collaboration with IIT Tirupati,” said Lee Gwang-gu, CEO of Kia India.
“We aim to create change, capability and a foundation that can bring about meaningful transformation in society, beyond simply building educational infrastructure.”
Hyundai Motor Group, the parent company of Kia and its larger affiliate Hyundai Motor Company, is actively expanding collaboration with India’s engineering academic institutions to develop automotive technologies tailored to the Indian market and to leverage local talent for technical innovation.
Separately, the group has partnered with other IITs in Delhi, Bombay and Madras on April 24 to collaborate on battery and electrification research, jointly establishing the Hyundai Center of Excellence, a research center for future mobility technology, at the IIT Delhi campus.
The group plans to expand the project to include up to 100 participating professors from 10 IITs and other local universities by the end of 2025.
forestjs@heraldcorp.com
