A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between Gujarat University and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to establish the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Centre for Cyber Security Research (SVP-CCR).
The SVP-CCR, which is being built as a centre of excellence, will conduct multidisciplinary scientific and applied research in critical and futuristic defence and security technologies. The DRDO will fund it with Rs 100 crore over three years, allowing it to expand its test and evaluation facilities for ongoing research at the centre.
According to one of the members, a three-member expert committee was formed and met to formulate the research center’s objectives and operations.
The MoU was signed in October 2021 for the SVP-CCR, which will be located on the top floor of Gujarat University’s upcoming Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Centre for Extension and Research and Innovation (CERI) on campus.
“The centre will take care of future threats to national security and offer technology to protect systems from insilico cyber attacks,” Gujarat University Vice-Chancellor Professor Himanshu Pandya told The Indian Express.
The centre will engage researchers, faculties, incubators at the GU as well as other institutes, industries, DRDO laboratories, and industrial research laboratories in collaborative research work in five verticals — IOT, cyber security, malware analysis, cryptocurrency analysis, and cyber defence. Pandya added that more verticals would be added in the future, with at least 100 researchers working under each vertical.
The DRDO will provide problem statements where students supported by faculty members as principal investigators will work and will be joined by experts and professionals.
The centre will be governed by a Governing Council and projects will be reviewed and evaluated by a Technical Expert Committee (TEC). According to the guidelines, any changes to the MoU must be made with the Governing Council’s recommendation and subsequent approval from the relevant authorities.