From France With Love: Safran Ties Up With Premier Indian Science Institutes For R&D

French aerospace and security giant Safran, has entered into a partnership with premier Indian educational institutions for research and development in the field of advanced avionics systems. The defence major will develop next generation aerospace technologies in collaboration with Foundation for Innovation & Technology Transfer, the industrial interface of IIT Delhi and Society for Innovation & Development of IISc, Bengaluru,.

The initial phase will include projects that involve development of advanced safe and secure multi-core architectures, and the evolution of advanced machine learning algorithms with low computational requirements. The projects are expected to significantly contribute to advanced avionics and security applications.

“Safran has always been proud of its association with India’s aerospace and defence programs,” said Alain Coutrot, Deputy Director, Research and Technology, Safran.

Commenting on the association, Stéphane Lauret, CEO, Safran India said, “These two partnerships are certainly a great step towards the development of future technology options in both aerospace and security domains in India. It also reinforces Safran’s commitment towards India’s education sector. The group employs more than 2,600 highly skilled employees in the country with an average annual workforce growth of 30% in the last decade. Over the past years, Safran has proudly embarked on a series of intensive engineering and manufacturing collaborations in the country. Our strategy is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India philosophy. ”

Viewing the association as a milestone for the institute, Prof. Jayant Modak, Chief Executive of Society for Innovation & Development said, “IISc is extremely happy to collaborate with Safran, a leading aerospace company of France. We are indeed pleased that one of our startups, Morphing Machines, is also collaborating with Safran R&D.”

French Ambassador François Richier believed that the rising interest of French companies in the Indian education sector, followed by subsequent partnerships with premier Indian institutes, will further cement Indo-French ties.