Defence Institute of Advanced Technology

Indian Armament Studies, later renamed as Institute of Armament Technology (now Defence Institute of Advanced Technology - DIAT) is founded by Dr. Patrick Blackett (Nobel Laureate-Physics-1948) and Dr. D S Kothari (Padma Bushan & Padma Vibhushan) on 1952.

Dr. Patrick Blackett[3],[4][5] Nobel Laureate (Physics-1948) and a Military Expert, Royal British Navy was invited by Shri. Jawahar Lal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India to 'Indianize the military' during 1950s. Blackett was awarded the Royal Medal by the Royal Society in 1940 and the American Medal for Merit in 1946. Patrick Blackett was Head of the Physics Department of Imperial College London . The current Physics department building of Imperial College is named the Blackett Laboratory.

Dr. D S Kothari (Padma Bushan & Padma Vibhushan), Scientific Advisor to Ministry of Defence, Govt. of India is an Outstanding Physicist, Educationalist and considered as the Architect of Defence Science in India. Founder of most of the DRDO labs in India i.e. Naval Dockyard Laboratory (later renamed Naval Chemical and Metallurgical Laboratory), Mumbai, Indian Naval Physical Laboratory, Kochi, Centre for Fire Research, Delhi, Solid State Physics Laboratory, Delhi, Defence Food Research Laboratory, Mysore, Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences, Chennai, Directorate of Psychological Research, New Delhi, Defence Electronics and Research Laboratory, Hyderabad, Scientific Evaluation Group, Delhi, Technical Ballistic Research Laboratory, Chandigarh. D S Kothari Played a crucial role in setting up of UGC and NCERT.

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam in his recent book, Ignited Minds : Unleashing the Power Within India. wrote : “Dr. D.S. Kothari, a professor at Delhi University, was an outstanding physicist and astrophysicist. He is well-known for Ionisation of matter by pressure in cold compact object like planets. This theory is complementary to the epoch making theory of thermal inisation of his guru, Dr. Maghnad Saha. Dr. D.S. Kothari set a scientific tradition in Indian defence tasks when he became Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister in 1948. The first thing he did was to establish the Defence Science Centre to do research in electronic materials, nuclear medicine and ballistic science. He is considered the architect of defence science in India. We are celebrating this great mind through a Chair research at the Indian Institute of Science”

Dr. D S Kothari and Dr. P Blackett worked together in Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge University under the guidance of Lord Ernst Rutherford, the Father of Nuclear physics.

In 1967, Indian Armament Studies was renamed as "Institute of Armament Technology" (IAT), which moved to its present location at Girinagar, Pune. From the relatively narrow scope of Armament Studies alone in the Fifties, the role of the institute was considerably enlarged by the Defence R&D Council in 1964 and further in 1981.

On the basis of accreditation by the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), Pune University recognised eight courses for the award of ME degree in 1980. In the year 2000, the institute acquired the status of a Deemed University. IAT has been renamed as DIAT w.e.f. 1 April 2006.

DIAT ranked 35th position (under University category) in the Nation's first National Institutional Ranking Framework introduced by the Ministry of Human Resources & Development during 2016.

DIAT is supported by 52 laboratories of Defence Research & Development Organization, Defence PSUs and Indian Armed Forces to conduct collaborative research works and to validate, assess various innovative technologies developed by its students and researchers.

DIAT is engaged in imparting technical education, in niche areas at PG (MTech) & PhD levels over the last 60 years, in its various forms & capacities. The main focus of the institute is to evolve as an innovative unique teaching and research university to develop indigenous contemporary defence-related technologies. The University is spread over 496 acres in a scenic beautiful location, overlooking Khadakwasla dam, in Sahyadri Hills. The University has been awarded various education excellence awards.

The University has well-equipped laboratories with the latest equipment and simulation/analysis software. The MTech programmes are designed to include Course of Study, Seminars, Project/Thesis, Practice School & Industry visit through which a student may develop his / her concepts and intellectual skills. Above all, the students are encouraged to develop a capacity for free and objectives enquiry, courage and integrity, awareness and sensitivity to the needs and aspirations of society. The emphasis is on practicals & use of the software. The education system is CBCS where teaching is done by well-qualified faculty drawn from DIAT and serving / retired scientists & officers of DRDO, Services, ISRO, IITs, various R&D and teaching institutes in India and abroad. DIAT has MoUs with various Industries in India, Universities & Establishments across the world. DIAT has an active Placement Cell. The uniqueness of DIAT is that students have an opportunity to interact with service officers, experienced scientists, researchers of DRDO and other defence establishments and can Share their field experience with them. The students have opportunities to visit DRDO laboratories & get the opportunity to listen and interact with scientists engaged in various disciplines carrying out state of the art, Research & Development in Defence Technologies.

In order to meet the specific and futuristic training requirements of Armed Forces, DIAT (DU) was bifurcated to form Military Institute of Technology (MILIT). MILIT, Pune is an inter-service institution of Integrated Defence Staff, an organisation responsible for fostering coordination and enabling prioritisation across the different branches of the Indian Armed Forces. MILIT trains officers of the three Services of Indian Armed Forces which are Army, Navy, Air Force and officers from friendly foreign countries for command and staff appointments. It conducts short term certificate courses (TTC, TSOC) for the Officers of the Three services.

Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, Pune was ranked 57 among engineering category by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in 2019.[6]

DIAT signed collaborative research program,[7] faculty/students exchange programs with reputed International Universities/Organizations like Cranfield University UK, Naval Postgraduate School USA, Technion Israel, Belarus State University Belarus, Deakin[8] University Australia, University of Warwick UK, Military Technical Academy Vietnam,[9] Nanyang Technological University Singapore, National University of Singapore, Dassault[10] Aviation (Rafale) India Ltd, Boeing India Ltd, etc. and National Universities/Organizations like BARC, DST, IITs, NITS, NIITS, IIIT, ATIRA, CIPET, State Universities etc. Please contact International Cooperation Cell for more information on Research projects and opportunities.[11]

In order to support the country’s effort to contain the spread of the novel Corona pandemic, DIAT (DU) developed a cost-effective[12] solution to disintegrate coronavirus. A microwave sterilizer named as ‘ATULYA[13]’ can be operated in portable or fixed installations and helps in disintegrating the virus by differential heating in the range of 56 to 60 Celsius temperatures. Atulya[14] weighs around three kilograms and it can be used for sterilization of non-metallic objects only. Depending on the size and shape of objects, sterilization time may vary from 30 seconds to one minute.

Accommodation and mess facilities are available in the POINTS Hostel on payment basis. More than 200 rooms are available for the accommodation of students in the DIAT (DU). The POINTS hostel building is very well planned (common lift in al buildings and covered parking for vehicles) and each room is having attached Toilet, Bathroom, Telephone, Geysers, WI-FI facility, etc. Currently, rooms are provided on a twin sharing basis and each room can accommodate up to maximum 4 students. Accommodation including food and room service will cost approximately Rs. 150 per day.

Other than existing POINTS hostel facilities, a separate hostel (6 floors/100 rooms) exclusively for girl students with all most modern facilities which can accommodate more than 400 girl students is constructed and its Inauguration expected by Feb 2020.

Also, another hostel with 14 studio apartments for married students and 100 rooms with modern facilities exclusively for boys students is under construction in the campus (completion expected by June 2020)

Other than hostels, DIAT (DU) is providing Quarters (Type 1 to 6) for its employees and Guest House for Visitors on campus. Married students are also eligible to get quarters as per the rules and regulations of DIAT (DU) during their stay in DIAT.

DIAT (DU) is situated near Khadakwasla Dam on Sinhagad Road, 16 km from Swargate ST Bus Depot,20 km from Pune Railway Station and 28 km from Pune Airport. DIAT can be reached by Pune Municipal Transport Corporation Buses, Route No. 49 from Pune Railway Station; Route Nos. 50, 51 and 52 from Shaniwar Wada via Swargate. Hired Auto Rickshaws are available from near Nataraj Hotel, Swargate, they may charge approximately 10 per km. Share autorikshaw services also available from Swargate.

• Sinhagad Fort – 10 km

• National Defence Academy – 05 km
• Panshet Dam – 20 km
• IISER Pune – 15 km
• NCL Pune – 15 km
• Varasgaon Dam – 20 km
• Lavasa – 45 km

• Official website