Chennai: Chief Minister M K Stalin has led a series of high-level meetings in the United Kingdom, culminating in the signing of MoUs with organisations in various sectors, including defence and aerospace, the Tamil Nadu government said on Wednesday.

The MoUs signed represent long-term strategic steps for Tamil Nadu in sectors of high value and future relevance in positioning the state as a national and global leader across niche domains.

"The highlight of the day was the meeting with Rolls-Royce, one of the world's foremost aerospace and defence technology firms." The company expressed strong interest in expanding its operations in Tamil Nadu, with plans for an MRO facility, an R&D and training centre, and a significant expansion of its IAMPL joint venture in Hosur. With Tamil Nadu being home to one of India's two defence industrial corridors, this engagement illustrates the state's potential as a hub for advanced aerospace manufacturing.

Lloyd's List Intelligence (Seasearcher) signed an MoU to expand its Global Capability Centre in Chennai, creating 200 jobs by FY 2026. As a world leader in maritime risk management, insurance, and vessel tracking analytics, Lloyd's expansion will significantly bolster Tamil Nadu's capabilities in shipbuilding, port management, and maritime technology.

Wilson Power & Distribution Technologies announced plans to establish a new electric transformer manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu. With over 80-90 per cent of its output going to renewable energy projects, the Rs 300 crore investment and 543 new jobs will directly contribute to Tamil Nadu's ambitions of becoming a green energy manufacturing capital.

Britannia RFID Technologies India, a subsidiary of UK-based Britannia Garment Packaging, will invest Rs 520 crore to set up a high-capacity RFID tag manufacturing unit in Tiruppur and Namakkal, creating 550 jobs and supporting traceability and supply chain digitisation in the garment sector.

On the education front, Ecole Intuit Lab partnered with Sakthi Excellence Academy to launch a design-focused higher education institution in Coimbatore. The University of Exeter also signed an MoU with Tamil Nadu to enhance academic collaboration through joint research, faculty exchange programmes, and cross-border knowledge transfer.

These MoUs are among the first tangible examples of Tamil Nadu leveraging the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to deepen sectoral collaboration and attract international investments. Several additional meetings were held to explore further opportunities emerging from the FTA framework.

On September 2, 2025, the government said the overall investment commitments signed in Germany during the Chief Minister's visit amounted to Rs 7,020 crore across 26 MoUs, creating 15,320 jobs.