Dai Nippon Printing (DNP) inaugurates a new R&D centre at IIT Hyderabad, backed by JICA, to advance mobility and healthcare technologies and deepen industry–academia collaboration.
DNP launches R&D centre at IIT Hyderabad
The Japanese technology and printing giant Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP) has inaugurated a research and development (R&D) centre at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH). The facility, supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will focus on cutting‑edge work in mobility and healthcare technologies, blending Japanese industrial expertise with India’s academic strengths. The centre marks DNP’s first R&D base in India and its second overseas facility, following its earlier unit in the Netherlands.
Officials at the inauguration highlighted that the centre will not only drive technological innovation but also strengthen bilateral ties between Japanese industry and Indian academia. By embedding the R&D unit within IITH’s campus ecosystem, DNP gains direct access to students, faculty, laboratories, and incubation infrastructure, enabling faster prototyping and real‑world testing of its solutions.
Focus on mobility and healthcare technologies
The new R&D centre will pursue projects in two priority domains: mobility and healthcare. In mobility, initial efforts will focus on developing wireless power systems for electric vehicles, improving efficiency and user convenience in charging infrastructure. In healthcare, the team will explore advanced methods for producing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) used in generic medicines, with a view to lowering costs, improving purity, and enhancing process safety.
Naoko Sawatar, Group Leader of the Global R&D Development Group at DNP, explained that these application‑oriented projects build on Japan’s strengths in material science and precision manufacturing, while relying on IITH’s expertise in electronics, chemical engineering, and systems design. The collaboration aims to translate laboratory‑level research into scalable, market‑ready technologies that can benefit both Indian and global markets.
Strengthening industry–academia ties
The DNP R&D centre at IITH will actively facilitate joint research projects, industry–academia partnerships, and technology transfer. Faculty and researchers at IITH will work alongside DNP engineers on defined problem statements, co‑designing experiments, filing patents, and publishing joint research papers. The centre will also host industry‑driven problem‑solving challenges, hackathons, and innovation workshops that connect students with real‑world engineering and healthcare challenges.
Officials noted that such collaborations would encourage more application‑oriented research at IITH, moving beyond theoretical studies to solutions that address industrial bottlenecks and societal needs. The partnership will also create internship and project opportunities for students, giving them exposure to Japanese quality standards, project‑management practices, and advanced R&D workflows.
Bridging Japanese and Indian innovation ecosystems
Takeuchi Takuro, Chief Representative of JICA India, emphasised that the initiative brings together Japanese industrial know‑how and India’s academic and entrepreneurial potential, with IITH serving as a key node in this linkage. He highlighted that the chosen focus areas – mobility and healthcare – are critical for addressing broader global challenges such as sustainable transport, clean energy, and affordable healthcare.
JICA has supported IITH through multiple funding and capacity‑building programmes, including the Japan Desk, which helps Japanese companies and research organisations connect with the institute for joint projects. Takuro also noted that JICA is working with Telangana’s startup and innovation hubs such as T‑Hub and T‑Works to mobilise funds, strengthen the innovation pipeline, and build job‑relevant technical skills among youth.
Strategic choice: Hyderabad and Telangana
Osamu Nakamura, Senior Managing Director at DNP, underlined that Hyderabad’s established pharmaceutical sector and its growing prominence in mobility technologies were key factors in selecting the city for the R&D centre. The presence of a mature pharma cluster, a strong talent pool in engineering and life sciences, and supportive state‑level innovation policies make Telangana an attractive destination for international R&D investments.
The new facility will also function as a platform for technology scouting and pilot deployment, allowing DNP to test novel materials, processes, and devices in real‑world settings before scaling them globally. Over time, IITH and DNP plan to expand the centre’s scope to include smart‑city technologies, digital health platforms, and energy‑efficient manufacturing solutions, further deepening India–Japan collaboration in science and innovation.
Broader impact on research and skilling
The establishment of the DNP R&D centre at IITH is expected to elevate the institute’s profile as a global hub for applied research and industry engagement. It will attract additional partnerships, patents, and publications while creating a pipeline of skilled graduates familiar with both Indian challenges and global R&D standards.
For students and early‑career researchers, the centre offers a rare opportunity to work on high‑impact mobility and healthcare projects, gain exposure to Japanese R&D methodologies, and develop competencies aligned with emerging industries. Collectively, the initiative reinforces India’s ambition to become a co‑development partner in advanced technologies, not just a consumer market, while strengthening the strategic science and technology partnership between India and Japan.
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