Pune: More than two months after Pune-based Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT) announced that it would sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation on March 12, the proposed tie-up is yet to take place.
“There are certain constraints from both the sides which are being addressed,” officiating vice-chancellor, DIAT, Hina Gokhale said.
“A delegation from the French company is scheduled to visit our institute soon and we will have a detailed deliberation. We are confident of signing the MoU soon,” she said.
The proposed tie-up envisages a two-year training, including a year-long stint in France, for select DIAT students who will then join the Dassault-Reliance aerospace manufacturing facility coming up at the Mihan
SEZ in Nagpur.
The facility, set up under a joint venture between Reliance Infrastructure and Dassault Aviation, will manufacture several components of the offset obligation connected to the purchase of 36 Rafale fighters from France.
A senior DIAT official, who did not wish to be named, told TOI, “Issues like finalisation of syllabus for the training course, legal aspects and related matters are being resolved. We will require some more time before the MoU is signed.”
The institute has signed MoUs with various international and national universities and establishments across the world such as National University of Singapore, Deakin University, Australia, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, and Naval Postgraduate School, the US. Recently, DIAT signed an MoU with Cranfield University (CU), the UK.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com