Recent 6 months news in Agreements

The IIT Gandhinagar in Gujarat has signed an MoU with the Indian Artificial Intelligence Research Organisation (IAIRO) to promote research, education, innovation, and talent development in the field of AI.

The Central University of Kerala (CUK) has signed an MoU with the Indian Navy to strengthen collaboration in the fields of maritime studies, defence research, innovation, and strategic knowledge development.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) under the Ministry of Communications has signed an MoU with the Madhya Pradesh government to establish India's first Telecom Manufacturing Zone (TMZ) Phase-I in Gwalior. The agreement was signed at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

A Special Purpose Company (SPC) will be established to implement the project, which is designed on a 'plug-and-play' system.

The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) has signed a tripartite agreement with the IISc Bengaluru and the Foundation for Science Innovation and Development (FSID) to establish a C-DOT Centre of Excellence (CoE) at the FSID, IISc Bengaluru.

The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), through the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), has signed a non-financial MoU with Project Concern International (PCI) India to strengthen women-led enterprises (WLEs), particularly those operated by Self-Help Groups (SHGs).

The partnership aims to facilitate public procurement and market-linked enterprise development for these businesses.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has signed a 3-year MoU with the Lucknow-based Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR-NBRI) to promote research and development for the conservation and ethnobotanical assessment of tribal bioresources in India.

The Odisha government has signed an MoU with HCL Technologies (HCLTech) and Sarvam AI to set up the first AI data centre of the state.

The facility will be located at the Odisha Sovereign AI Park in Bhubaneswar, with a total project outlay of ₹14,257 crore.

Sona BLW Precision Forgings Ltd (Sona Comstar) has signed agreements with the Japan-based DENSO Corporation to establish two Joint Ventures (JVs) in India.

These JVs will develop, manufacture, and market advanced electric and hybrid powertrain systems for various vehicle segments.

Engineers India LTD (EIL) has signed an MoU with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (CSIR-IMMT) in Odisha to collaborate on mineral processing, extractive metallurgy, and the value chain of critical and strategic minerals.

Additionally, EIL has signed an MoU with the Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA), formerly known as the Directorate General of Shipping, to provide engineering and technical consultancy services for the development and modernisation of maritime projects.

The Indian Stainless Steel Development Association (ISSDA) has partnered with the Global Stainless Steel Expo (GSSE) to promote the use of stainless steel for clean energy transition and sustainable industrial growth in India.

The collaboration aims to expand the application of stainless steel across sectors such as green hydrogen, renewable energy, mobility, infrastructure, and industrial manufacturing. It is to be noted that the stainless steel market of India is projected to reach $15.8 billion (₹1.36 lakh crore) by 2030.

The Bengaluru-based Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) has signed an academic collaboration agreement with Google LLC to provide AI and other industry-relevant skill modules to its students and faculty.

The Centre for Urban Studies (CUS) at the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) has signed an MoU with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) to strengthen municipal accounting systems and enhance financial management through collaborative research, training, and institutional capacity building.

The agreement is valid for an initial period of 3 years.

Punjab National Bank (PNB) has signed an MoU with the Andhra Pradesh government to establish the 'PNB Quantum Finance Hub' at the Amaravati Quantum Valley (AQV) in Amaravati.

This initiative marks the first bank-led Quantum Finance Hub in India, making PNB the first bank to partner with a state government to set up a dedicated Quantum Finance Facility.

SBI Life Insurance has signed a strategic partnership with the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) to become the Principal Partner of the Indian Contingent for the 2026 para sport season.

Under this collaboration, the company will also serve as the Official Life Insurance Partner for the Indian Contingent at the Commonwealth Para Games 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland, and the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

The Ministry of Tourism has signed an MoU with Air India in New Delhi to promote India as a preferred global tourism destination under the 'Incredible India' brand.

Air India has signed an MoU with Saudia, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, to expand strategic cooperation between the two nations.

The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), a unit of the ISRO, has signed an MoU with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT) to jointly develop indigenous technology for next-generation, environmentally sustainable blowing agents.

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has signed an MoU with Mahatma Phule Renewable Energy and Infrastructure Technology Ltd (MAHAPREIT) to jointly finance and promote green, climate-resilient, and sustainable infrastructure projects across rural India, with an initial focus on Maharashtra.

The Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) of the ISRO has signed an Implementing Agreement (IA) with the Thiruvananthapuram-based Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) for collaboration in space medicine and Bioastronautics research and training.

Under this partnership, both institutions have launched India's first indigenous 2-year Postdoctoral Fellowship programme in Bioastronautics.

The National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) has collaborated with the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) in Mohali to make the indigenous 1.2 µm Process Design Kit (PDK) available through eChipHub.

It is to be noted that SCL is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The eChipHub platform is managed by NIELIT under a MeitY-funded project titled 'Development of EdTech Platform in Semiconductor Space to Democratize Chip Design and Development Ecosystem for Masses'.