Coromandel International, a provider of agricultural solutions, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras for the establishment of a Corporate Research Centre at the IIT Madras Research Park. The agreement formalises a collaborative framework between the agri solutions provider and the academic institution, aimed at strengthening structured industry academia engagement in agriculture linked research and development.
The announcement was made during the inauguration of the IIT Madras Global Research Foundation, an event presided over by S Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, Government of India. During the ceremony, the MoU document was formally handed over to Narayanan Vellayan, Whole time Director – Strategic Sourcing, Coromandel International, by Jaishankar, in the presence of V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras.
Focus on Joint Research and Technology Development
As outlined in the MoU, the Corporate Research Centre will function as a hub for joint research programmes, technology incubation, talent development and international collaboration. The centre is expected to support collaborative work across multiple areas relevant to agriculture, sustainability and emerging technologies, while providing a structured platform for long term research engagement.
Through the centre, Coromandel will be able to engage with the research, innovation and technology infrastructure of the IIT Madras ecosystem, both within India and across its international academic and research networks. The partnership is intended to align academic research capabilities with industry requirements, with an emphasis on application oriented outcomes.
Industry Perspective on Research Collaboration
Commenting on the partnership, Narayanan Vellayan said that Coromandel considers innovation and research to be critical to strengthening India’s agricultural ecosystem and supporting sustainable growth. He stated that the collaboration with IIT Madras Global would enable closer engagement with researchers, scientists and global partners to work on solutions in crop nutrition and advanced agri inputs. He added that the Corporate Research Centre would serve as a strategic platform to translate scientific research into scalable technologies that deliver value to farmers, industry and the country’s broader innovation agenda.
Also read: SHITIJ 2026: ICAR Launches Free Virtual Incubation Programme for Agri Startups
Academic View on Industry Academia Engagement
T Madhav Narayan, Chief Executive Officer of IITM Global, said the MoU with Coromandel represents a step towards deeper industry academia engagement. He noted that such partnerships are designed to accelerate translational research and innovation, with outcomes that are aligned to real world applications and industry needs.
International Participation and Global Research Linkages
The inauguration event saw participation from IIT Madras’ global partners across the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore. Their presence reflected the institute’s expanding international research footprint and its focus on building cross border collaborations through the IIT Madras Global Research Foundation.
Long-Term Framework for Science Led Agri Solutions
With the establishment of the Corporate Research Centre at the IIT Madras Research Park, the partnership sets out a long term framework for collaborative research, technology development and talent engagement. The initiative is positioned to support Coromandel’s science led growth objectives while leveraging IIT Madras’ academic and research capabilities to address current and emerging requirements within the agriculture sector and allied domains.