The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati is at the forefront of a transformative national initiative to establish Manekshaw Centres for Defence and Security Research, fostering collaboration between academia, armed forces, and security agencies to bolster India’s national security framework, as notified by the institution
Establishment of Manekshaw Centres
Under the aegis of the Ministry of Education, Government of India, IIT Guwahati is spearheading the creation of nodal centres named “Manekshaw Centres” across premier Indian institutes.
These centres aim to serve as a single-window communication platform, bridging the gap between the armed forces, security agencies, and academic and research institutions.
The initiative focuses on next-generation education, innovation, productization, manufacturing, and research-based consulting to address India’s defense and security needs.
The initiative aligns with the Government of India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat mission, uniting premier institutes such as IIT Guwahati, Madras, Kanpur, Jodhpur, Dharwad, Delhi, Bombay, Kharagpur, Banaras Hindu University (BHU)-Varanasi, Indian School of MInes (ISM)-Dhanbad, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore, and Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Delhi, with more institutions expected to join.
Role of the Manekshaw Centre of Excellence
Conceived by Lt Gen Dr Subrata Saha (Retd) and Prof Sukumar Nandi, Dean of Administration at IIT Guwahati, the Manekshaw Centre of Excellence for National Security Studies and Research (MCoENSSR), established in March 2025, aims to:
- Create a new-age Security Industrial Complex to promote self-reliant defense solutions.
- Collaborate with startups, industry partners, and foreign institutes to achieve higher technology readiness levels for the Indian Armed Forces and Security Agencies.
- Organise dialogue series, workshops, seminars, ideathons, and conferences to address emerging national security challenges, including next-gen asymmetric hybrid non-contact warfare, and futuristic technologies.
