IIIT Hyderabad and Plaksha University are establishing a Sustainability Centre to develop new approaches that support development of smart communities. The partnership will focus on research-led social solutions for smart communities by employing IIITH’s Smart City Living Lab and Plaksha’s energy and environment initiatives.

IIIT-Hyderabad is an autonomous research university that focuses on IT, electronics and communications technologies. It has a strong focus on VLSI and embedded systems, robotics, visual and human language technologies and wireless communications. Plashka University is an interdisciplinary centre with partnerships with UC Berkeley, Purdue, UC San Diego.

The Sustainability Center will primarily focus on research for bottom of the pyramid use cases around villages and towns. IIITH and Plaksha University will jointly work on technologies applicable to sustainable communities including sensors, ML models, communication/5G, digital twins, economics, social/human sciences.

It will also take up problems in functional domains like air/pollution, water (networks, wtp, stp, rain), energy (smart meters, distribution, grids, storage), waste management (solid water and otherwise), food/agriculture (sustainably produce, process, consume), health (preventive and public health and mental health).

The immediate short-term plan is to seed projects in Hyderabad and Chandigarh around water, pollution and agri-economics.

Professor P J Narayanan, Director of IIITH said, “IIITH is excited to partner with Plaksha University on joint research initiatives spanning sustainability and the development of sustainable communities. Since both our institutions largely share institutional frameworks and social goals, this collaborative centre will work on impactful research, educational programmes, and community involvement, leveraging our combined strengths.”

Professor Rudra Pratap, Founding Vice Chancellor Plaksha University said, “In this era of rapid technological advancement, our collaboration with IIIT Hyderabad marks a pivotal moment in our journey towards fostering sustainable communities. Through the joint efforts of Plaksha University and IIITH, we aspire to harness cutting-edge technologies to address the pressing challenges faced by communities at the bottom of the pyramid, ensuring a brighter and more equitable future for all.”