Coromandel International signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) to establish a Corporate Research Centre at the IIT Madras Research Park. The initiative marks a significant step in strengthening industry–academia collaboration in advanced agricultural sciences and technology-led innovation.
Hub for Joint Research, Innovation and Talent Development
The proposed Corporate Research Centre will function as a collaborative hub for joint research programmes and technology incubation. It will also support talent development and foster international partnerships. Through this centre, Coromandel aims to leverage the innovation ecosystem and research infrastructure of IIT Madras, both in India and globally. The collaboration will accelerate the development of next-generation solutions in crop nutrition and advanced agri-inputs. It will translate scientific research into commercially scalable technologies.
MoU Announced at IITM Global Research Foundation Inauguration
The announcement was made during the inauguration of the IITM Global Research Foundation, which was presided over by S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, Government of India.Narayanan Vellayan, Whole-time Director – Strategic Sourcing, Coromandel International Limited, V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, and other senior dignitaries from academia and industry also attended the event.
Translating Science into Scalable Solutions
Narayanan Vellayan highlighted the strategic importance of the collaboration. “Our engagement with IIT Madras Global will allow us to work closely with leading researchers, scientists and international partners to develop breakthrough solutions in crop nutrition and advanced agri-inputs,” he said. “The Corporate Research Centre will serve as a strategic platform to convert cutting-edge science into scalable technologies that benefit farmers, industry and the nation’s innovation agenda,” he added.
Strengthening Industry–Academia Collaboration
As reported by thehindubusinessline.com, T. Madhav Narayan, CEO, IITM Global, said the MoU represents a meaningful step towards deeper industry–academia engagement. “This collaboration with Coromandel International marks a powerful move towards accelerating translational research and innovation with tangible, real-world impact,” he said.
