Mumbai: The National Institute of Design (NID) plans to have an automobile sector specific facility at Pune.

NID, which already has a similar designing facility for the infotech sector in Bangalore, is working on a design centre for jewellery in Gandhinagar besides the one cited for automobile designing. Such tripartite centres bring together NID's expertise, industry participation and funding from the likes of UNIDO and offer scope for industry-oriented work by NID's post-graduates.

According to Dr Darlie O. Koshy, Executive Director, NID, $1 million is likely to be invested between the jewellery and automobile designing facilities. While the Maratha Chamber of Commerce is keen to provide space for the project, companies including Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra have shown interest in being industry partners.

This aside, NID is working towards starting a post-graduate programme in transportation design, in league with the Art Centre, Pasadena.