CNN Central News & Network–ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: The rapid advancements in the world of technology in recent decades have not only altered but transformed the dynamics of modern warfare completely. Amid rising cyber warfare threats, growing risks of digital espionage and the increasing weaponization of emerging technologies has indeed made it imperative for India to strengthen its cybersecurity resilience and build next-generation secure communication capabilities that not only ensure the expansion of the country’s digital economy but also safeguard the national defence preparedness.
And to strengthen India’s cybersecurity and secure communication research capabilities, Chandigarh University in collaboration with the India Internet Foundation (IIFON) has established an Internet Technology Research Lab under the AIORI (Advanced Internet Operations Research in India) framework, becoming the first private university in the country and the third institution overall after IIT Guwahati and IISc Bengaluru to set up such a specialized facility.
Internet Technology Lab at Chandigarh University to Strengthen Indigenous Cybersecurity Research and Build Next-Gen Secure Internet Systems
This initiative is aimed at building a robust indigenous research ecosystem wherein this lab will function as a collaborative platform for research, training and capacity building in internet technologies, internet measurement systems, IoT, DNS infrastructure, quantum-safe DNS and next-generation internet systems with technological inputs, tools, testbeds and research support from the India Internet Foundation.
The AIORI collaboration will provide Chandigarh University students and faculty access to a national-scale research testbed spread across multiple locations and hundreds of measurement anchors, enabling advanced experimentation and development in secure and intelligent internet systems. The initiative also supports course delivery through production-grade testbeds for edge computing, distributed systems, IoT and cloud computing, while creating opportunities for internships, live projects and hands-on training for students.
The collaboration will serve as a catalyst for outcome-driven Industry-academia engagement and capacity building in emerging internet technologies through joint workshops, hackathons, faculty development programs, training programmes and collaborative research projects. Moreover, the access to indigenous research infrastructures, datasets and reference architectures will support innovation in software engineering, advanced analytics and system design aligned to the national cybersecurity priorities.
As the modern warfare rapidly expands into cyber and information domains, experts believe that there is an urgent need to enhance indigenous research capabilities, nurture highly skilled professionals in these emerging domains and build secure communication systems that can strengthen nation’s security by protecting the critical digital infrastructure.
India today is among the most targeted countries globally for cyberattacks. As per the record of the Union home ministry, around 65.9 lakh cyber-fraud complaints involving a total amount of Rs 55,659 crore were reported in the country in the last five years through the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP). With India accounting for nearly half of the world’s digital payments and rapidly expanding digital infrastructure, there is a need for robust cybersecurity mechanism and skilled manpower to safeguard the nation’s security and protect its critical digital infrastructure.
Responding to this national and economic security concerns, Chandigarh University and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati have initiated a strategic academic collaboration aimed at strengthening cybersecurity education, advanced research and innovation through joint initiatives under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s (MeitY) Information Security Education and Awareness (ISEA) programme.
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