Health and well-being requires a multidisciplinary approach to studying entire systems, from biological cells to individuals to social groups. Activities envisaged under this broad thematic area cut across academic boundaries and involve an integrated approach to prevent disease and illness, encourage healthy lifestyles in individuals and communities, and reduce the cost and impact of illnesses. Three sub-areas are identified under this theme:
Participating Institutes:
- University of Trans Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology (TDU)
- St. John’s Research Institute (SJRI)
- Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
- Karnataka Institute of Endocrinology Research
- Mimyk
- Yostra Labs
- Foot Secure
- Metastrings Foundation
- Biocon Foundation
Objectives:
- Developing a digital health platform in two specific areas:
- Mass-personalised nutrition for Indian urban and rural population
- Digital footcare for diabetics
Short-term impact:
- Investigation of varied responses of people with regard to post-prandial glycemia, lipidemia, and inflammation to dietary inputs using dynamic digestion model and gut-on-a-chip technologies
- A virtual dietician app for the masses
- Setting up a proof-of-concept digital kiosk for diabetic footcare
Long-term impact/goals:
- Aahaar card for personalised nutrition
- Nutrient levels in raw foods and cooked foods and investigation of dietary advice to under-nourished and over-nourished individuals and populations
- Remote diagnostics and treatment for diabetic foot complications with scaled up digital foot clinics and digital twin for foot care
Participating Institutes/Potential Collaborators:
- Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)
- Bangalore Chamber of Industry & Commerce (BCIC)
- National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS-TIFR)
- Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
- Molecular Solutions Care Health LLP
- Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS)
- ATREE
- Biodiversity Collaborative
- Indian Institute of Public Health
- Ashoka University
- Biome Environmental Solutions
- Bengaluru Sustainability Forum
- Initiative for Climate action
- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP)
- The echo network
Objectives:
Build a network of practitioners and scientists who will engage with and inform policy makers, city planners, health authorities, NGOs, municipal bodies and citizens to minimise infectious and zoonotic disease risks to people and mitigate the challenges that novel outbreaks may bring.
Short Term Impact:
Data to design effective vector control strategies
Predictive and pre-emptive models for zoonotic and vector borne diseases
Environmental surveillance of lakes in Bengaluru city
Awareness and internalisation of synergies and tradeoffs between biodiversity, climate change and disease to citizens
Involving citizen scientists in data collection and monitoring
Wide Impact/Beneficiaries:
A OneHealth framework for Bengaluru city
Ambitious and interdisciplinary science research to solve local problems
Multisectoral interactions and action for improved health and well-being
Collaboration and synergy between scientists, policy makers and citizens
Outbreak awareness and preparedness
Participating Institutes/Potential Collaborators:
- Bangalore Chamber of Industry & Commerce (BCIC)
- ICAR – National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources
- ICAR – Indian Institute of Horticultural Research
- I & B Seeds Private Limited
- ORBIFOLD Solutions
- JNCASR
- University of Agricultural Sciences
- Ankur seeds Private
- Indian Institute of Science
Objectives:
Develop new designs for polyhouses & roof top units for growing standard and high value crops and for breeding/propagation purposes
Develop modern sensing, imaging and delivery systems in precision agriculture
Develop new sampling tools and sensors for pest detection, non-chemical and mechanical methods like semiochemicals (pheromones and repellents) and targeted pesticide spray systems for pest management
Short Term Impact:
Adoption of precision agriculture techniques for sustainable agriculture in protected environment
Efficient use of water, nutrients and chemicals Efficient pest management
Trained manpower in precision agriculture
Wide Impact/Beneficiaries:
Extend the concepts and technologies to open agriculture and space agriculture
Awareness to encourage urban roof top polyhouses thereby promoting farming within and around cities
This thematic area aims to support collaborations that will pursue interdisciplinary research on futuristic areas that can drive economic growth through innovation. The sub areas identified under this theme are:
Participating Institutes:
- University of Trans Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology (TDU)
- St. John’s Research Institute (SJRI)
- Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
- Karnataka Institute of Endocrinology Research
- Mimyk
- Yostra Labs
- Foot Secure
- Metastrings Foundation
- Biocon Foundation
Objectives:
- Developing a digital health platform in two specific areas:
- Mass-personalised nutrition for Indian urban and rural population
- Digital footcare for diabetics
Short-term impact:
- Investigation of varied responses of people with regard to post-prandial glycemia, lipidemia, and inflammation to dietary inputs using dynamic digestion model and gut-on-a-chip technologies
- A virtual dietician app for the masses
- Setting up a proof-of-concept digital kiosk for diabetic footcare
Long-term impact/goals:
- Aahaar card for personalised nutrition
- Nutrient levels in raw foods and cooked foods and investigation of dietary advice to under-nourished and over-nourished individuals and populations
- Remote diagnostics and treatment for diabetic foot complications with scaled up digital foot clinics and digital twin for foot care
Participating Institutes/Potential Collaborators:
- Bangalore Chamber of Industry & Commerce (BCIC)
- Raman Research Institute
- International Centre for Theoretical Sciences
- National Centre for Biological Sciences
- Theranautilus Private Limited
- Indian Institute of Science
Objectives:
- Micro-robotic swarms: Creation of micro- or nano-scale intelligent agents with applications in areas ranging from continuous, non-invasive monitoring of the human body to autonomous self-healing and micro-surgery
- Traffic:Develop model experimental systems to mimic traffic flow conditions and identify desirable behaviour at the individual level for optimal traffic conditions
- Biological systems: Theoretical and experimental efforts to understand collective motility patterns exhibited by living organisms related to complex problems such as antibiotic resistant biofilms, cancer progression, etc.
Short Term Impact:
- Development of a multi-scale surgery tool that provides seamless bio-manipulation capabilities at spatial scales ranging from the organ to the sub-cellular level
- Social engineering methods to incentivise desirable behaviour at the individual level for optimal traffic conditions
- Theoretical models to understand antibiotic resistant biofilms
Wide Impact/Beneficiaries:
- Bridge the gap between fundamental researchers and engineers
- Advance the field at a global scale
- Address locally relevant problems
Gas Turbine Engine for Civil Aviation
Participating Institutes/Potential Collaborators:
- Bangalore Chamber of Industry & Commerce (BCIC)
- National Aerospace Labs (NAL)
- Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE)
- Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
- Indian Institute of Science
Objectives:
- Determine availability of know-how for the design,and facilities for testing; identify gaps and assess whether they can be overcome quickly. Estimate costs of development, manufacture, deployment.
- Propose mechanisms for implementation.
- Identify broad development stages, especially time for First Engine to Test (FTET).
Short Term Impact:
- Support immediate development by providing external technical review, as well as numerical modelling and experimental testing services to provide the component specific inputs to GTRE and NAL needed for design.
- Identify areas of basic research and propose projects that can translate into technological advancement for long-term engine development goals.
Wide Impact/Beneficiaries:
- Lay the foundation for more challenging goals such as building larger engines for commercial aircraft.
Participating Institutes/Potential Collaborators:
- Bangalore Chamber of Industry & Commerce (BCIC)
- Indian Space Research Organization
- National Institute of Oceanography
- MetEarth Technologies Private Limited
- Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology
- Indian National Centre For Ocean Information Services
- Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai
- ATREE
- Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
- Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
- International Centre of Theoretical Sciences
- Indian Institute of Science
Objectives:
- Study links between rainfall, evapotranspiration, river basin-scale hydrology and regional weather/climate; flow in peninsular rivers and flood forecasts
- Develop conceptual models of air-sea-land interaction on weather to sub-seasonal scales from field and satellite observations, and high-resolution models
- Intra-day to 2-day forecasts for applications using satellite and in situ data, models and machine learning (ML)-based approaches
- Experimental forecasts on weather to sub-seasonal scales using coupled initialization and data-driven methods
- High-resolution model simulation to understand cloud physics, interaction between cloud clusters, winds and monsoon convection.
Short Term Impact:
- Predicting direct/indirect & short/long-term impacts of changing water cycle
- Models & machine-learning approaches for short-term forecasts, esp. for the energy sector
- Flow & biogeochemistry measurements in peninsular rivers & estuaries, atmospheric measurements using UAVs
- Understanding onset & organisation of monsoon convection, including mesoscale (~ 10-100 km) systems and severe weather.
Wide Impact/Beneficiaries:
- Basic Science: Novel research in diverse areas related to monsoon variability on intra-day to decadal scales, , climate change, clouds, water cycle and air-sea-land interactions
- Applications: Model-data blends for changing water cycle, city-scale and regional forecasts (esp. for benefit of Govt/municipal agencies, energy sector)
- Teaching: Online material, pedagogical workshops for students, teachers, institutions, public service orgs
- International collaborations: Virtual centre to enable teaching, hosting visitors and mutual research visits
Participating Institutes/Potential Collaborators:
- Bangalore Chamber of Industry & Commerce (BCIC)
- Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
- Raman Research Institute (RRI)
- Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR)
- International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS)
- Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions
- QuNu Labs
Objectives:
- Establish the foundation for quantum technologies starting with hardware design, construction and optimisation of elementary building blocks.
- Indigenously develop necessary electronics and nanotechnology support
- Build the requisite base of technical and manpower skills
Short Term Impact:
- Reliable and high-fidelity elementary quantum components
- 8-qubit quantum processor with superconducting transmon technology
- City-scale quantum communications
- Software simulators to verify and validate noisy quantum devices
- Quantum-inspired algorithms
- Novel materials and architectures
- Academic programs in Quantum Technology
Wide Impact/Beneficiaries:
- Reliable and high-fidelity elementary quantum components
- 8-qubit quantum processor with superconducting transmon technology
- City-scale quantum communications
- Software simulators to verify and validate noisy quantum devices
- Quantum-inspired algorithms
- Novel materials and architectures
- Academic programs in Quantum Technology
Urbanisation is a major social and environmental transformation occurring in countries across the globe. This thematic area is devoted to developing theoretical and applied knowledge for urban management, liveability and sustainability. Research in the below sub areas under this theme aims to develop sustainable solutions for urban health, climate change, water and food security, urban design and transportation systems.
Participating Institutes/Potential Collaborators:
- Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)
- Bangalore Chamber of Industry & Commerce (BCIC)
- National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS-TIFR)
- Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
- Molecular Solutions Care Health LLP
- Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS)
- ATREE
- Biodiversity Collaborative
- Indian Institute of Public Health
- Ashoka University
- Biome Environmental Solutions
- Bengaluru Sustainability Forum
- Initiative for Climate action
- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP)
- The echo network
Objectives:
Build a network of practitioners and scientists who will engage with and inform policy makers, city planners, health authorities, NGOs, municipal bodies and citizens to minimise infectious and zoonotic disease risks to people and mitigate the challenges that novel outbreaks may bring.
Short Term Impact:
- Data to design effective vector control strategies
- Predictive and pre-emptive models for zoonotic and vector borne diseases
- Environmental surveillance of lakes in Bengaluru city
- Awareness and internalisation of synergies and tradeoffs between biodiversity, climate change and disease to citizens
- Involving citizen scientists in data collection and monitoring
Wide Impact/Beneficiaries:
- A OneHealth framework for Bengaluru city
- Ambitious and interdisciplinary science research to solve local problems
- Multisectoral interactions and action for improved health and well-being
- Collaboration and synergy between scientists, policy makers and citizens
- Outbreak awareness and preparedness
Participating Institutes/Potential Collaborators:
- Bangalore Chamber of Industry & Commerce (BCIC)
IISc - Robert Bosch India Ltd.
- Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT), GoK
- International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore
Objectives:
- Design and develop city-scale multimodal mobility simulator for decision-support
- Design a megaregional mobility simulator to simulate multiple graded forms of mobility and its effect on transportation and land-use aspects
- Field demonstrations of multimodal transport systems to bring together MaaS and public transit into a new mobility service design for cost-effective door-to-door connectivity
- Mobility Data Space (MDS) and unique cross-silo applications to address issues such as multi-modal transport
- Build a community of expertise around planning megaregional mobility
Short Term Impact:
- City-scale mobility simulator
- Research prototype for megaregional mobility simulator
- Simulation-based evaluation and field pilot-trials of integrated multimodal mobility system
- MDS active in two cities with at least four datasets available in each city
- Decision-support tools for transportation systems planning and policy making
- Training and tech-transfer to industry and Govt. stakeholders
- Professional certification program
Wide Impact/Beneficiaries:
Foster collaborations between academia, mobility industry, government transport authorities and mobility providers to develop long term strategies for shaping sustainable, resilient, and human-centric urban and megaregional mobility systems.
Participating Institutes/Potential Collaborators:
- Bangalore Chamber of Industry & Commerce (BCIC)
- ICAR – National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources
- ICAR – Indian Institute of Horticultural Research
- I & B Seeds Private Limited
- ORBIFOLD Solutions
- JNCASR
- University of Agricultural Sciences
- Ankur seeds Private
- Indian Institute of Science
Objectives:
- Develop new designs for polyhouses & roof top units for growing standard and high value crops and for breeding/propagation purposes
- Develop modern sensing, imaging and delivery systems in precision agriculture
- Develop new sampling tools and sensors for pest detection, non-chemical and mechanical methods like semiochemicals (pheromones and repellents) and targeted pesticide spray systems for pest management
Short Term Impact:
- Adoption of precision agriculture techniques for sustainable agriculture in protected environment
- Efficient use of water, nutrients and chemicals Efficient pest management
- Trained manpower in precision agriculture
Wide Impact/Beneficiaries:
- Extend the concepts and technologies to open agriculture and space agriculture
- Awareness to encourage urban roof top polyhouses thereby promoting farming within and around cities
Participating Institutes/Potential Collaborators:
- Bangalore Chamber of Industry & Commerce (BCIC)
- Raman Research Institute
- International Centre for Theoretical Sciences
- National Centre for Biological Sciences
- Theranautilus Private Limited
- Indian Institute of Science
Objectives:
- Micro-robotic swarms: Creation of micro- or nano-scale intelligent agents with applications in areas ranging from continuous, non-invasive monitoring of the human body to autonomous self-healing and micro-surgery
- Traffic:Develop model experimental systems to mimic traffic flow conditions and identify desirable behaviour at the individual level for optimal traffic conditions
- Biological systems: Theoretical and experimental efforts to understand collective motility patterns exhibited by living organisms related to complex problems such as antibiotic resistant biofilms, cancer progression, etc.
Short Term Impact:
- Development of a multi-scale surgery tool that provides seamless bio-manipulation capabilities at spatial scales ranging from the organ to the sub-cellular level
- Social engineering methods to incentivise desirable behaviour at the individual level for optimal traffic conditions
- Theoretical models to understand antibiotic resistant biofilms
Wide Impact/Beneficiaries:
- Bridge the gap between fundamental researchers and engineers
- Advance the field at a global scale
- Address locally relevant problems
Participating Institutes/Potential Collaborators:
- Bangalore Chamber of Industry & Commerce (BCIC)
- Indian Space Research Organization
- National Institute of Oceanography
- MetEarth Technologies Private Limited
- Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology
- Indian National Centre For Ocean Information Services
- Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai
- ATREE
- Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
- Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
- Indian Centre of Theoretical Sciences
- Indian Institute of Science
Objectives:
- Study links between rainfall, evapotranspiration, river basin-scale hydrology and regional weather/climate; flow in peninsular rivers and flood forecasts
- Develop conceptual models of air-sea-land interaction on weather to sub-seasonal scales from field and satellite observations, and high-resolution models
- Intra-day to 2-day forecasts for applications using satellite and in situ data, models and machine learning (ML)-based approaches
- Experimental forecasts on weather to sub-seasonal scales using coupled initialization and data-driven methods
- High-resolution model simulation to understand cloud physics, interaction between cloud clusters, winds and monsoon convection.
Short Term Impact:
- Predicting direct/indirect & short/long-term impacts of changing water cycle
- Models & machine-learning approaches for short-term forecasts, esp. for the energy sector
- Flow & biogeochemistry measurements in peninsular rivers & estuaries, atmospheric measurements using UAVs
- Understanding onset & organisation of monsoon convection, including mesoscale (~ 10-100 km) systems and severe weather.
Wide Impact/Beneficiaries:
- Basic Science: Novel research in diverse areas related to monsoon variability on intra-day to decadal scales, , climate change, clouds, water cycle and air-sea-land interactions
- Applications: Model-data blends for changing water cycle, city-scale and regional forecasts (esp. for benefit of Govt/municipal agencies, energy sector)
- Teaching: Online material, pedagogical workshops for students, teachers, institutions, public service orgs
- International collaborations: Virtual centre to enable teaching, hosting visitors and mutual research visits