[S2!!!]

Amrita University, a multi-campus, multi-disciplinary research institution, inaugurated the Amrita Automotive Research & Technology Center (AARTC) - a joint venture between Amrita University and Automotive Test Systems (a company known for testing and validation in the Indian Automotive Industry).

This Rs. 15 crore facility will come up in Amrita University headquarters in Coimbatore. It will assist the automotive industry in areas like vehicle evaluation, vehicle cooling and HVAC studies, Road Load Data Acquisition, Emission, Simulation – Structural and CFD, Multibody Dynamics etc.

M.Tech. and PhD students will avail this facility for research. The AARTC will facilitate the doctoral and postgraduate students of the university to gain hands-on experience by giving them an opportunity to participate in live research projects aimed at developing technologies for the government and industry as well. It is likely to enhance the quality of teaching and learning experience of faculty, researchers and students.

In its first phase, a 4000 sq.m. building has been completed with complete infrastructure for Vehicle Evaluation, Engine Testing and Development and basic NVH facilities. The second phase, scheduled to be completed by the end of the year, will cover a Hemi-Anechoic room, Reverberation rooms, Listening Studio and complete NVH facilities.

[GrammarNazi]

Theres barely anything "1-of-a-kind" in this. Tata Motors has had such facilities in its Pune plant since a decade!

I'm ashamed that Govts have SO much to spend on space exploration, but couldn't (or didn't want to) spend a paltry amount to build such a Research & Development facility.

I say this because, generous income tax benefits aside, a private company gets almost an acre of built-up space with barely any investment! Also, more importantly, I guess ownership of any data researched by the M.Tech & PhD students would belong to the company - because they 'provided the facility'.

It'll be like saying, "I'll provide you Pen & Paper to learn how to write, and the intellectual property of whatever you write will be my property". You'll pass the exam ONLY if you write something new, advanced & creative (read *patentable* & *viable to sell*).

Obviously they'll internally "further develop" the projects and those will eventually be sold to auto makers.

Maybe auto-makers will eventually make vehicles safer & more efficient, but obviously it'll be done through a LONG duration and through sustained hefty premiums over the long term with every marketing cycle for "New Advanced Features".

We all know how much companies care for strategising the steady flow of a healthy bottom line. And politicians I guess would be happy for their steady cut year after year. So why create a competing Govt owned R&D facility?

IMO If this was a Govt owned R&D center, it'd most possibly save people '000s of crores. It could even earn the country quite a significant bit with the sale of Intellectual Property earned from such R&D.