Zuppa Geo Navigation, IISc Bengaluru Set Up Drone Centre of Excellence

Zuppa Geo Navigation Technologies has partnered with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, to establish a drone centre of excellence (CoE) at IISc’s department of mechanical engineering to advance indigenous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technologies.

The centre will focus on research, design, and testing of drone systems, with an emphasis on autonomous platforms, aerial systems, and cyber-physical integration. The initiative aims to support India’s efforts to strengthen domestic UAV capabilities across sectors, including defence, agriculture, logistics, disaster management, and smart cities.

This comes after the company partnered with Chennai-based Garuda Aerospace in March this year.

The CoE will combine Zuppa’s cyber-physical technology stack with IISc’s research expertise in aerodynamics, robotics, control systems, and systems engineering. According to the partners, this collaboration is intended to accelerate the development of homegrown drone technologies suited to Indian operational and environmental conditions.

“At Zuppa, our mission has always been to spearhead indigenous innovation in UAV and navigation systems,” said Sai Pattabiram, founder and managing director of Zuppa. “The establishment of this centre of excellence at IISc represents a milestone in our journey, as it brings together academic excellence with industry-driven technological leadership.”

He added that the partnership aims to create solutions that can scale beyond domestic applications and meet global benchmarks.

A senior representative from IISc’s department of mechanical engineering said the collaboration would help bridge the gap between academic research and industry deployment.

“By establishing this CoE in collaboration with Zuppa, we aim to advance UAV research that integrates deep scientific insights with practical industry applications,” the representative said. “This partnership will create a strong foundation for innovations in drone design, autonomy, and performance.”

The drone CoE will also support training and research programmes for students and engineers, with a focus on building long-term capabilities in UAV design, autonomy, and system performance.

The initiative aligns with broader national efforts to promote self-reliance in critical technologies and strengthen India’s drone ecosystem through industry–academia collaboration.