Kia partners with IIT Tirupati to foster local talent, strengthen future mobility in India

SEOUL, May 14 (Yonhap) -- Kia Corp. said Tuesday it has partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Tirupati to cooperate in fostering local engineering talent and enhancing future mobility capabilities in the South Asian nation.

Under their memorandum of understanding signed Friday, the South Korean automaker will invest 350 million rupees (US$4.1 million) over the next five years to support educational infrastructure and launch internship programs in partnership with the technology-focused college in India's state of Andhra Pradesh.

The two sides will also cooperate in introducing automotive industry-focused academic courses and promoting joint research projects between academia and the industry.

A key part of the initiative includes supporting the establishment of a state-of-the-art research facility, called the Makers Laboratory, which will serve as a space for prototyping, designing and development.

"We aim to cultivate engineers and technicians who will lead in the field of sustainable mobility and manufacturing sectors by collaborating with IIT Tirupati," said Lee Gwang-gu, executive vice president and head of Kia India.

odissy@yna.co.kr
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