On November 8, 2025, The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the premier R&D centre of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, Government of India, signed an MoU with the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar (IIT-GN) to set up a Centre of Excellence (CoE). The CoE aims to promote cutting-edge research, innovation, and the development of indigenous products in the telecom and cybersecurity domain. The goal of the initiative is to accelerate India's leadership in telecommunications and technology by combining C-DOT's expertise with the academic excellence of reputed institutes. The CoE will serve as a hub for both fundamental and applied research, focusing on areas such as Mobile Communications, Cyber Security, Quantum Communication, Advanced AI, and Advanced Telecom Applications.
The Centre will enable IIT Gandhinagar students, faculty, researchers, and C-DOT researchers to collaborate in the Telecom and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) domain. It will support incubation, mentoring, and collaboration with startups, industries, and academia to foster innovation. The Centre will provide training, capacity building, and skilling programs. Both institutions will collaborate on publications, patent filing, seminars, and product development.
The signing ceremony was attended by Dr. Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO of C-DOT, and Dr. Rajat Moona, Director of IIT Gandhinagar, along with senior officials from C-DOT, and faculty & students from IIT-GN. Dr. Upadhyay emphasized the CoE's aim to create a collaborative environment, advance telecom technologies, encourage intellectual property development, and strengthen India's position as a technological leader. Prof. Moona highlighted the importance of self-reliance in digital and communication technologies for security and growth. The MoU synergises strengths to build indigenous capabilities, development and innovation.
Release ID: 2187899, Visitor Counter : 187
Key Entities Referenced
Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT): The premier R&D centre of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), a key player in advancing telecom technology in India.
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Gandhinagar: A leading academic institution partnering with C-DOT to establish a Centre of Excellence.
Centre of Excellence (CoE): A joint initiative by C-DOT and IIT Gandhinagar to promote research, innovation, and development in telecom and cyber security.
Department of Telecommunications (DoT): The ministry that C-DOT belongs to.
Ministry of Communications: The top ministry to which both C-DOT and DoT belong.
Ministry of Communications
Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT)
signs MoU with Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT), Gandhinagar
C-DOT sets up a Centre of Excellence (CoE) at IIT
Gandhinagar
CoE would bring together academic community of IIT-GN
and C-DOT’s researchers together for undertaking
collaborative research and boost innovation
Posted On: 08 NOV 2025 8:36PM by PIB Delhi
Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the premier R&D centre of the Department of
Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, Government of India and Indian Institute
of Technology, Gandhinagar (IIT-GN), one of the premier institutions established by the Government
of India, signs an MoU for setting up a Centre of Excellence (CoE) to promote cutting edge research,
innovation and development of indigenous products in telecom and Cyber security domain.
C-DOT’s COE initiative aims to accelerate India's leadership in telecommunications and technology
by synergising C-DOT's expertise with academic excellence of reputed institutes. This centre shall
serve as a hub for both fundamental and applied research with a focus to excel in the domains of C-
DOT's existing expertise in critical areas like Mobile Communications, Cyber Security, Quantum
Communication, Advanced AI, and Advanced Telecom Applications.
The mandate of this Centre will be to enable community of IIT Gandhinagar students, faculty,
researchers and C-DOT researchers to come together and collaborate in Telecom and Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) domain. Overall, the Centre’s work will enrich the research work
and find practical solutions to problems/ use-cases in telecom & ICT domain and their related
applications, while leveraging use of niche and emerging technologies. The centre shall also support
incubation, mentoring, and collaboration with startups, industries, and academia to foster a robust
innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. It shall provide training, capacity building, and skilling
programs aligned with national telecom, semiconductor, and digital transformation missions to create
an industry-ready workforce. Both institutions will also collaborate on scholarly publications, patent
filing , joint seminars and final product development.The official signing of the MoU was attended by Dr. Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO of C-DOT, and Dr.
Rajat Moona, Director of IIT Gandhinagar on 8th November 2025 at IIT Gandhinagar. The event was
attended by senior officials from C-DOT, and faculty & Students from IIT-GN.
Speaking on this occasion, Dr Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO, C-DOT, emphasized that the establishment
of the CoE is aimed at creating a dynamic and collaborative environment by combining the strengths
and resources of C-DOT and IIT Gandhinagar. He stated that such initiatives play a vital role in
advancing next-generation telecom technologies, encouraging the development of intellectual
property, and strengthening India’s position as a global leader in technological innovation in line with
the vision of “Atmanirbhar Bharat” and “Viksit Bharat”. He further highlighted that C-DOT envisions
a self-reliant India that not only meets its own technological needs but also contributes to global
progress through indigenous innovation and capability building in line with the “Atmanirbhar
Bharat” vision of the government.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof Rajat Moona, Director, IIT-GN said, "Self-reliance in Digital and
Communication technologies along with cyber security are essential for the security, growth and
development of our country. The MoU synergises strengths of both institutions and is a significant
step towards indigenous capability building, development and innovation that will foster new ideas
while leveraging niche and emerging technologies.”
Dr. Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO of C-DOT, and Dr. Rajat Moona, Director of IIT Gandhinagar during
signing ceremony of the MoU.Dr. Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO of C-DOT, and Dr. Rajat Moona, Director of IIT Gandhinagar after
the signing ceremony of the MoU.
Delegation from C-DOT at the IIT GandhinagarDr. Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO of C-DOT, delivering his remarks during a session at IIT
Gandhinagar.
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MI
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