UoH to Set Up Digital Twin Technology Centre with HAL CSR Fund
The centre will focus on digital twin systems — virtual models that simulate and monitor real-world processes — used increasingly in aerospace, healthcare, and infrastructure. India has so far lagged in institutional research capacity in this domain, experts said.
Hyderabad: The University of Hyderabad is set to establish a centre of excellence in digital twin technology with ₹5 crore in CSR funding from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The move marks a rare instance of a public sector company directly funding advanced technological research in an emerging field.
The centre will focus on digital twin systems — virtual models that simulate and monitor real-world processes — used increasingly in aerospace, healthcare, and infrastructure. India has so far lagged in institutional research capacity in this domain, experts said.
The project, led by Prof. Samrat Sabat and Prof. Siba Udgata, will be housed in the university’s AI Research Cluster. It will include a core research lab, a training space for skill development, and facilities for workshops. The initiative falls under HAL’s CSR mandate but signals an alignment of public research with sector-specific industrial needs.
Digital twin systems are already being deployed globally to reduce downtime in aircraft maintenance, improve hospital diagnostics, and monitor large-scale infrastructure in real time. The Hyderabad centre could become one of the few academic facilities in the country to work exclusively on such systems.