On the sidelines of AILPA 2025, a strategic meeting was held between the leadership of FDDI and ILPA, aimed at strengthening collaboration between academia and the leather industry.
Mr. Vivek Sharma, IRS, Managing Director (MD), FDDI, and Mr. Arjun Mukund Kulkarni, President, ILPA, led the discussions, which focused on enhancing industry-integrated education, establishing joint research and development (R&D) initiatives, and promoting sustainable design and production practices.
Both institutions expressed their commitment to exploring future partnerships that would advance innovation, skill development, and market competitiveness within India’s leather and footwear ecosystem.
Key takeaways from the meeting included the proposal for PDC (Product Development & Consultancy) Facilitation to be established as a joint industry-academia initiative, enabling collaborative product innovation and technology support for MSMEs. Additionally, low-enrolment hybrid courses were proposed to address specialized skill gaps and make advanced design and production education more accessible to working professionals and entrepreneurs.
