The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur and Lohum Cleantech have announced a strategic partnership for R&D collaboration in sustainability and other core areas. Under the partnership, Professor Kanwar Singh Nalwa from the Department of Sustainable Energy Engineering at IIT Kanpur, will lead the team to work together with Lohum on projects focused on advancing Lithium-ion battery testing technology and techniques for battery raw material quality evaluation.
The projects, under the partnership, will help develop technologies important for ensuring the safety and longevity of batteries. Lohum will also help IITK commercialise its research outcomes in other areas. In addition to the research collaboration, Lohum will provide fellowship to select Ph.D. students from IIT Kanpur to aid them in their research. It will also support the IITK Motorsports team, which won the Class I electric category of Formula Bharat 2023.
Rajat Verma, CEO of Lohum Cleantech and an alumnus of IIT Kanpur, visited his alma mater to meet IIT Kanpur’s Deputy Director Prof. S. Ganesh, Dean, R&D, Prof. A.R. Harish and Dean, Resources & Alumni, Prof. Kantesh Balani. They discussed collaboration avenues and future steps that can be mutually beneficial. Verma also expressed his delight in announcing the collaboration with IIT Kanpur, one of the country’s leading institutions in the field of engineering and technology. He emphasised that the partnership would aid in developing innovative and sustainable solutions for the battery industry, which is critical to the growth of electric vehicles in India.
According to Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Director, IIT Kanpur, the partnership with Lohum Cleantech will help advance the sustainability of Lithium-ion batteries through collective research and development initiatives. The partnership adds up to IIT Kanpur’s relentless efforts in creating an R&D ecosystem aligned more towards a sustainable future.
Professor Kanwar Singh Nalwa from the Department of Sustainable Energy Engineering, IIT Kanpur, believes that the collaboration between Lohum Cleantech and IIT Kanpur is a significant step towards promoting sustainable energy and a circular economy in India. It also strengthens the ecosystem of industry-academia partnerships that the Government of India has been trying to foster.