IIT Roorkee, WRI India sign MoU to boost battery research and clean energy
Synopsis
IIT Roorkee and WRI India have signed an MoU that goes beyond a typical academic handshake — it targets the full battery value chain, from critical mineral sourcing to recycling, at a moment when India's EV push is outpacing its domestic supply chain readiness. The partnership could shape evidence-based policy at a critical inflection point for India's clean energy transition.
Key Takeaways
IIT Roorkee and WRI India signed an MoU on 21 June 2025 in New Delhi .
The partnership covers sustainable batteries , electric mobility , battery recycling , critical minerals , and circular economy practices.
The agreement was signed by Prof.
Vivek Kumar Malik (IIT Roorkee) and Pawan Kumar Mulukutla (WRI India).
Joint research projects, policy studies, and student-faculty exchanges are among the planned deliverables.
The collaboration aligns with India's broader push for energy self-reliance and domestic battery supply chain development.
IIT Roorkee and WRI India on 21 June 2025 formalised a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen collaboration across sustainable battery technologies, electric mobility, battery recycling, critical mineral value chains, and clean energy policy research. The agreement was signed in New Delhi, marking a structured institutional commitment between one of India's premier engineering universities and a leading sustainable development research organisation.
What the Partnership Covers
The MoU establishes a framework for joint research projects, policy studies, academic exchanges, workshops, training programmes, and conferences. Both institutions will collaborate on circular economy practices, resource efficiency, and resilient battery supply chains — areas increasingly central to India's industrial and energy strategy.
The agreement was signed by Prof. Vivek Kumar Malik, Dean of Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy (SRIC) at IIT Roorkee, and Pawan Kumar Mulukutla, Executive Program Director for Integrated Transport, Clean Air and Hydrogen at WRI India.
Why This Collaboration Matters
India is currently witnessing rapid growth in renewable energy deployment and electric vehicle adoption, driving demand for advanced battery technologies and efficient resource utilisation. The country's push toward energy self-reliance has made critical mineral supply chains and battery recycling infrastructure urgent policy priorities.
This comes amid broader national efforts to reduce dependence on imported battery components — particularly lithium and cobalt — and develop domestic recycling ecosystems that can support a circular economy for electric mobility.
What the Institutions Said
IIT Roorkee Director Prof. Kamal Kishore Pant underscored the need for cross-sector collaboration. 'The transition towards a sustainable and self-reliant energy future requires strong collaboration among academia, industry, research organisations, and policymakers,' he said. He added that the partnership would 'create new opportunities for research, innovation, capacity building, and knowledge generation in areas critical to India's energy transition, including sustainable batteries, circular economy, critical minerals, and clean mobility.'
Prof. Vivek Kumar Malik said the MoU offers a framework for meaningful outcomes. 'By combining IIT Roorkee's research strengths with WRI India's expertise in sustainable development and policy engagement, we aim to create meaningful outcomes that contribute to technological advancement and evidence-based decision-making,' he stated.
What Comes Next
The two institutions are expected to identify priority research areas and launch joint initiatives under the MoU in the coming months. Student and faculty exchange programmes, alongside capacity-building workshops, are among the near-term deliverables outlined under the agreement. The collaboration is positioned to feed into India's evolving national battery policy and electric mobility roadmap.
Point of View
With limited translation of academic output into actionable industrial or regulatory frameworks. This MoU is notable precisely because it pairs IIT Roorkee's technical depth with WRI India's policy engagement capacity, which is the combination that has been missing. The real test will be whether joint outputs feed into the government's battery recycling regulations and critical mineral strategy, or remain confined to conference papers. With the PLI scheme for Advanced Chemistry Cell batteries already in motion, the timing is right — but execution and institutional follow-through will determine whether this partnership moves the needle.
NationPress
20 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the IIT Roorkee and WRI India MoU about?
The MoU is a formal agreement to collaborate on sustainable battery technologies, electric mobility, battery recycling, critical mineral value chains, and clean energy policy research. It also covers academic exchanges, joint research projects, and capacity-building workshops.
When was the MoU between IIT Roorkee and WRI India signed?
The MoU was signed on 21 June 2025 in New Delhi. It was formalised by Prof. Vivek Kumar Malik from IIT Roorkee and Pawan Kumar Mulukutla from WRI India.
Why is this partnership significant for India's clean energy goals?
India is rapidly scaling up renewable energy and electric vehicle adoption, creating urgent demand for advanced battery technologies and domestic recycling infrastructure. This partnership aims to generate research and policy insights that can support India's energy transition and reduce dependence on imported battery components.
What areas will IIT Roorkee and WRI India work on together?
The two institutions will collaborate on sustainable batteries, electric mobility, resource efficiency, battery recycling, critical mineral supply chains, circular economy practices, and clean energy policy. Joint workshops, training programmes, and student-faculty exchanges are also planned.
Who are WRI India and IIT Roorkee in this context?
IIT Roorkee is one of India's oldest and most prominent engineering and research universities. WRI India is the Indian affiliate of the World Resources Institute, specialising in sustainable development, transport, clean air, and energy policy research.
