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We are excited to announce that COEP Technological University, Pune has signed an MoU with JSW Projects, a JSW Group Company, to establish an Advanced Battery Research & Development Centre at COEP Tech’s Chikhali Research Park!
This is India’s first indigenous battery prototyping and pilot-scale R&D platform, a first-of-its-kind initiative that brings cutting-edge lithium-ion cell technology development onto an academic campus.
The project will be built in two phases, with a combined investment of more than ₹800 Crore.
Phase 1 will constitute setting up of a Cell Research & Development Centre to design, simulate, and prototype indigenous Li-Ion and other advanced chemistry cells such as Sodium-Ion.
Phase 2 scales this into a Cell Validation Centre capable of producing cells from 100–600 Ah. The batteries developed here are targeted to perform at par with the best in the world, but built for India centric climatic conditions and applications. This state-of-the-art facility serves as foundation for joint research, publications, projects and IP development, taking India’s battery technology from lab to industry, right here on campus.
The MoU signed by Registrar Dr. D. N. Sonawane, on behalf of COEP Technological University and Executive Vice President Mr. Naresh Lalwani on behalf of JSW Group of Companies. Hon’ble Vice Chancellor Prof. Sunil Bhirud, Director RIIL Dr. S.P. Mahajan, Dean Prof. P. A. Sadgir, Founder FACEng & Former CEO Wipro PARI Dr. Ranjeet Date, Professor-of-Practice Dr. Sarika Kelkar, Officer on Special Duty Dr. Avinash Joshi, and Professor of Practice Mandar Bhatavdekar, were present.
Representing JSW Group of Companies were Mr. Amitabh Singh, Senior Vice President; Mr. Chandrakant Mahalingam, Associate Vice President; Mr. Vijay Chaudhari, Deputy General Manager; and Mr. Sudeep Sarkar, Deputy General Manager.
Hon’ble Vice Chancellor Prof. Sunil Bhirud said: “We want a strong Indian alternative to imported batteries, and this collaboration takes us a real step closer. For our students, it is a rare chance to learn and work on advanced battery technologies right on campus. With Phase I and Phase II together with JSW, our research and technology development moves to a much bigger platform. We are grateful to the Government of Maharashtra and the Board of Governance of COEP Tech for making this possible.”
Speaking in this context, Sajjan Jindal, Chairman of JSW Group, said that cells are the new fuel of this century, and just as mineral oil powered the last century, battery cells will do the work of powering all resources from electric vehicles to grids in this century. For many decades, India has spent a large amount of foreign exchange on the import of mineral oil. Now the time has come for the new India to develop advanced skills and capabilities to manufacture these cells within India itself. Our partnership with COEP Technological University, which has a glorious tradition of 172 years in the engineering sector, will bring a new dimension to the industry and academia. We believe this partnership will be crucial for designing, testing, and validating cells suitable for the Indian climate and will help shape India’s clean energy future.
Building India’s Battery Future, Together.
