The Centre for Development of Telematics C-DoT, a public-funded research body by the Indian government focusing on telecom, and Qualcomm Technologies, a US-based tech giant have signed a MoU (memorandum of understanding) to drive the 'Make in India' vision of the central govt. The announcement comes from the recently concluded MWC (Mobile World Congress) 2024. The strategic partnership between the two organisations will focus on fostering innovation in India and supporting India-based developers and start-ups working on innovative products and use cases.

There will be two broad objectives that this partnership will try to achieve:

Providing the academia, startups, and OEMs (original equipment makers) access to foundational chip technologies and domain experts so that they can scale up their R&D efforts.

Helping Indian startups working on indigenous tech and solutions in commercialising and developing business faster.

Qualcomm Technologies will help the C-DoT with expertise and best practices, state-of-the-art technology, and more so that Indian startups can benefit from it.

Neeraj Mittal, Chairman, DCC, and Secretary, DoT, said, "India's developers, academia and startup ecosystem is at the forefront of driving innovation in the country. With immense pride in our nation's cutting-edge research, we stand alongside Qualcomm in nurturing the entrepreneurial vigor in telecom technology. This initiative is in reaffirmation of Prime Minister’s commitment to the government’s Design in India and Make in India vision, recognizing the potential of homegrown startups to drive groundbreaking innovations and propel India’s leadership in the telecom landscape."

Dr Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO, C-DoT, said, "Our collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies will help transition us to an era where innovation thrives, unlocking the vast potential of Indian R&D, accelerating the commercialization of new products and use cases and fostering a vibrant ecosystem of startups."

"With the government’s push for Design in India coupled with growing adoption of 5G and on device-AI, we see greater scope for innovations. Qualcomm takes pride in being India’s trusted partner for accelerating its digital journey. We look forward to the close strategic collaboration between Qualcomm Technologies and C-DOT to help write India’s growth story in the years to come," said Savi Soin, Senior Vice President, and President of Qualcomm India.

Gautam Sheoran, Vice President, and General Manager, Wireless and Broadband Communications, Qualcomm Technologies, said, "We are excited to partner with C-DOT in our shared commitment to fostering innovation. Over the years, our technologies have been at the forefront of enabling growth for the start-up ecosystem and will continue to support developers, start-ups, and young entrepreneurs across India in close collaboration with C-DOT. Our R&D investment in India and our startup incubation programs are testament to the potential we foresee in the country."