Honda India Foundation Partners with IIT Delhi’s Atal Incubation Centre to Launch Bharat Safety Program for Road Safety Innovation

New Delhi, November 05, 2025: Honda India Foundation (HIF), the CSR arm of Honda group companies in India, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Atal Incubation Centre (AIC) at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi Sonipat Innovation Foundation to launch the Bharat Safety Program, a structured initiative designed to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in road safety.

Aligned with Honda’s Global Vision 2050 – Zero Traffic Collision, the Bharat Safety Program will focus on supporting DeepTech startups developing practical, affordable, and scalable safety solutions for two-wheeler mobility in India.

The 2.5-year accelerator program will begin with a selection and bootcamp phase during which 15–20 startups will be shortlisted. In the next 24 months, five selected startups will undergo incubation, receiving mentorship, product development and testing support, and access to a collaborative ecosystem of government, industry, and academic partners. The program’s focus areas include over-speeding, helmet usage, rider behaviour, collision prevention, and night-time visibility.

The MoU signing ceremony was attended by senior dignitaries including Mr. Vinay Dhingra, Trustee, Honda India Foundation; Shri Rajeev Taneja, Operating Officer, HIF; Shri Prabhu Nagaraj, Operating Officer, Corporate Affairs, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India; Prof. Preeti Ranjan Panda, Dean, Corporate Relations, IIT Delhi; Dr. Nikhil Agarwal, Director, AIC IIT Delhi; Mr. Nalin Kohli, Board of Directors, AIC IIT Delhi; Prof. Somnath Baidya Roy, IIT Delhi; and Mr. Tarun Chaturvedi, Chief Operating Officer, Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT), IIT Delhi, among others.

The partnership leverages AIC IIT Delhi Sonipat Innovation Foundation — established under NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission — as a hub for research, product development, and technology-driven social impact. The collaboration aims to bring together startups, investors, corporates, venture capitalists, policymakers, and academia to foster innovation that addresses India’s road safety challenges.

The Bharat Safety Program is Honda India Foundation’s first accelerator initiative focused exclusively on road safety and two-wheeler mobility, targeting impactful solutions in semi-urban and rural regions where awareness and infrastructure are limited.

The collaboration aligns with IIT Delhi’s commitment to promoting deep-tech innovations that enhance safety, sustainability, and mobility.

Through this initiative, Honda India Foundation aims to contribute to building safer roads and supporting India’s Vision Zero ambition by nurturing startups that can deliver scalable solutions to improve rider safety nationwide.