NPCI and IIT Kanpur Ink MoU for knowledge sharing and research collab

The collaboration will also help in the augmentation of cybersecurity controls for NPCI and its subsidiaries’ products and services.

The MoU will precipitate a wide array of collaborative efforts between NPCI and IIT Kanpur.

With this collaboration, eminent faculty members from the institute will conduct deep informative sessions and deliver lectures for NPCI personnel on Cybersecurity and the new trends in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Security Product Roadmaps, and Distributed ledger technologies (DLT).

NPCI, on the other hand, will offer internship opportunities to IIT Kanpur students, providing them an invaluable experience of working on live projects of NPCI.

The domain-centric knowledge and expertise of IIT Kanpur scholars will aid NPCI in expeditiously executing the ever-evolving requirements of consumer-oriented offerings.

Commenting on the MoU, Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Director, IIT Kanpur said, “IIT Kanpur has been at the forefront when it comes to developing secure and innovative solutions to digital transaction and storage of data."

The institute houses the C3i Hub dedicated solely to developing cyber security solutions and cyber-physical systems.

"This association will not only converge the best of both the institutions in developing a robust digital payments system but will also pave the way for multi-disciplinary research and opportunities,” he added.

NPCI Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)  Antony Prakash said, “The association provides NPCI and IIT-K an excellent opportunity to develop advanced technical solutions that will provide customers with a best-in-class, convenient, and safer payments experience. We believe it will usher in the development of a more refined digital payments ecosystem which will further ameliorate any potential bottlenecks in the system.”

Prof. Sandeep K Shukla of Computer Science & Engineering Department and joint Project Director, C3iHub of IIT Kanpur said, “IIT Kanpur has been paving the way for critical research and development in the field of cyber security and digital data privacy for long. In recent years, several blockchain-based and other cyber security initiatives have been developed and executed by IIT Kanpur.

"However, many of them are multi-disciplinary initiatives, and the need for such collaborations in today’s time is very crucial. This association with NPCI is in the same line and would ensure to work for the development of a more secure and holistic ecosystem in the domain of digital payments and collaborative research initiatives.”

The MoU will mutually benefit both parties with its knowledge-sharing nature and will enable the constitution of better and more secure digital payment products and services oriented towards national interest and upliftment.