Mumbai/Pune: COEP Technological University and JSW Projects have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish an Advanced Battery Research & Development Centre at COEP Tech’s Chikhali Research Park in Pune, with the two-phase project involving a combined investment of more than ₹800 crore.
The partners said the facility would become India’s first indigenous battery prototyping and pilot-scale research and development platform of its kind, bringing lithium-ion cell technology development onto COEP Tech’s academic campus.
The project will focus on developing, prototyping and validating battery cells for applications including electric vehicles, grid-scale energy storage and clean-energy systems. It is also expected to bring university researchers and students into closer collaboration with industry engineers on technologies intended for eventual commercial deployment.
The initiative is planned in two phases.
Phase 1 will establish a Cell Research & Development Centre focused on the design, simulation and prototyping of indigenous lithium-ion cells as well as other advanced battery chemistries, including sodium-ion technology.
Phase 2 will expand the project into a Cell Validation Centre capable of producing cells ranging from 100 Ah to 600 Ah, according to the announcement.
The partners said batteries developed at the centre would be designed with Indian climatic conditions and applications in mind, while targeting performance comparable with leading international technologies.
The facility is also expected to support joint research programmes, academic publications, technology projects and intellectual property development, providing a pathway for battery concepts to move from laboratories towards industrial applications — traditionally one of the trickier stretches of the innovation journey.
Prof. Sunil Bhirud, Vice Chancellor, COEP Technological University said, “This collaboration has the potential to create a strong indigenous alternative to imported batteries and make a significant contribution to India’s journey towards self-reliance. For students, it will provide a unique opportunity to learn and work on cutting-edge battery technologies. The scale and scope of the Phase I and Phase II collaboration between COEP Technological University and JSW make it a landmark industry-academia initiative. At a time when next-generation battery technologies are receiving significant research attention across the country, the partnership places research, innovation and technology development on a much larger platform. The collaboration has the potential to develop technologies that can reduce dependence on imported batteries and contribute to the vision of a self-reliant and developed India. The scale of this initiative makes it a significant step forward in strengthening India’s battery technology ecosystem. We are grateful for the valuable support extended by the Government of Maharashtra and the Board of Governors of COEP Technological University in enabling this important initiative.”
Sajjan Jindal, Chairman, JSW Group, said, “Cell is the new oil. Just as oil powered the last century, battery cells will power this one, from electric vehicles to the grid. For decades, India has spent precious forex importing oil. This time, we must build the cutting-edge skills and capabilities to make these cells right here, for a new India. Our partnership with COEP Tech, with its 170-year legacy of engineering excellence, will bring industry and academia together to design, test and validate cells built for Indian conditions, and help shape India’s clean energy future.”
Battery technology central to JSW’s expansion plans
The research partnership also fits into the broader clean-energy and electric-mobility ambitions of the JSW Group.
JSW Energy is expanding its grid-scale battery energy storage systems alongside its renewable-energy portfolio, while JSW Motors is pursuing electric mobility across vehicle segments. Developing battery expertise, research infrastructure and a domestic technology ecosystem is therefore becoming increasingly relevant to both businesses.
For COEP Tech, the partnership is intended to strengthen the role of its Chikhali Research Park as a centre for automotive and allied technology development.
The organisations said the project could eventually help catalyse more than 1,000 jobs connected with the battery ecosystem, although the announcement did not provide a timeline for those positions.
Focus on reducing dependence on imported technology
A major objective of the collaboration is to build greater domestic capability in battery-cell research and validation before technologies move to large-scale manufacturing.
The partners said pilot-scale production would allow battery technologies to be tested and refined before investments are made in giga-scale manufacturing facilities, reducing technical and commercial risks at an earlier stage.
They also pointed to the concentration of the global lithium-ion supply chain in China as a strategic concern for India’s clean-energy ambitions, arguing that domestic research and manufacturing capabilities will become increasingly important as demand for electric mobility and energy storage rises.
The project has been positioned as supporting the Government of India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat programme as well as India’s target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070.
For India, the significance of the partnership will ultimately depend not simply on the size of the investment but on whether research conducted in Pune can successfully move from prototypes to competitive, commercially viable cells. If that bridge is built, the COEP Tech-JSW facility could become an important piece of India’s effort to develop more of its battery technology at home rather than importing the expertise along with the cells.
