In a landmark step towards strengthening industry-academia collaboration, NMDC, India’s largest iron ore producer, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, to facilitate new initiatives in the areas of cybersecurity and promote the adoption of modern digital technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), across NMDC’s operations. This MoU was signed by Satyendra Rai, Executive Director (Digital Transformation), on behalf of NMDC, and Prof.  Ashoke De, Dean, R&D, IIT Kanpur in the presence of Prof. Manindra Agrawal, Director, IIT Kanpur, senior officials from NMDC and representatives from IIT Kanpur. Through this partnership, NMDC will work with IIT Kanpur across key areas such as cybersecurity risk assessments; policy, governance and compliance support; Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) integration and advancement; security operations and incident response; capacity building and knowledge sharing; and joint research and innovation. Additionally, NMDC and IIT Kanpur will jointly conduct training programmes, undertake research activities, run pilot projects, and co-develop proof-of-concept solutions. Speaking on this collaboration, Shri Amitava Mukherjee, CMD, NMDC, said, “This MoU brings IIT Kanpur’s advanced research capabilities in NMDC’s extensive operational ecosystem. This collaboration will help us strengthen our digital defences, improve operational intelligence, and build a secure and future-ready technological foundation for NMDC.” The MoU reflects NMDC’s commitment to becoming a digitally strong and future-ready mining organisation.