NEW DELHI: Armed Forces Medical Services and IIT-Delhi on Monday joined hands to undertake collaborative research to develop novel medical devices and focus on solving health issues specific to serving soldiers in varied terrains.

AFMS signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for collaborative research and training with the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi.

"The scope of this MoU includes undertaking research and innovation to develop novel medical devices and focus on solving health issues specific to serving soldiers in varied terrains," the defence ministry said in a statement.

The MoU was signed by Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services, Lt Gen Daljit Singh and Director, IIT-Delhi, Prof. Rangan Banerjee.

IIT-Delhi has a robust biomedical research ecosystem which is ideal for providing the technical expertise required for research in the diverse medical challenges faced in the armed forces, including rehabilitation of amputees, officials said.

Under the ambit of this agreement, faculty exchange programmes, joint academic activities and development of joint PhD programmes will also be planned, they said.

On this occasion, Lt Gen Singh said AFMS is dedicated to providing the highest level of medical care to soldiers and collaboration with institutes of national importance like IITs is a significant step towards this commitment.

The IIT-Delhi director said the MoU is full of possibilities for research and training beneficial to the nation and the armed forces.