IIHS and Government of Karnataka Sign a MoU at the GIM Inaugural

June 7, 2012 - PRLog -- Proposes to establish a national Research & Innovation University out of Bangalore

Bangalore, India: The Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) and the Government of Karnataka signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today during the 2nd Global Investor Meet (GIM) 2012 being held in the city. The MoU was signed by Aromar Revi, Director, Indian Institute for Human Settlements and Mr. M. N. Vidyashankar – Principal Secretary to Government, Department of IT, BT, S&T and Commerce & Industries.

The Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) will establish the first campus of the IIHS University in Bangalore with an investment of over Rs. 250 crores at a 55 acre site at Kengeri with an initial built-up area of 0.5 million sq.ft. The Government of Karnataka would provide the necessary support to IIHS towards the implementation of the project.

The IIHS campus is expected to set global standards for efficient, economic and sustainable design. It will aggregate and demonstrate the talents of India's best designers, construction agencies and artisans; help generate employment and enable local area development. The IIHS University will have 'world class' infrastructure for research, teaching and incubating innovation along with student and faculty housing and related social infrastructure.

The IIHS and the Govt. of Karnataka have agreed to enter into a knowledge partnership that would further the state's development agenda, strengthen institutional capacity within public institutions and enable IIHS to provide long-term support and knowledge services to public programmes and other initiatives.

Speaking on the proposed IIHS University, Aromar Revi, Director, IIHS said, "The IIHS will bring the interdisciplinary skills needed for the planning, development and management of India's cities, towns and villages. It is estimated that by 2050 close to half of India's population would be living in urban areas. This will place an enormous strain on the existing urban centers and the new ones that will come into existence. For India to thrive in the 21st century, we need settlements that work efficiently, are sustainable, and provide to all our citizens, access to jobs, services and security, along with the social and cultural space needed for full human development. With the establishment of the IIHS University at Bangalore, we seek to respond to the multi-dimensional and interdisciplinary opportunities of India's urbanisation at regional and national scale".



On Bangalore as a preferred location for the first campus for the IIHS University, Revi added “Bangalore has been among India's fastest growing cities over the last decade, but has its share of challenges from sprawl, congestion, water and basic service delivery and inclusive livelihood development. We hope to support the Govt. of Karnataka, citizens and enterprises to address these in a systematic manner over the medium and long-run. Bangalore is home to a number of India's leading higher education institutions and enterprises and has an innovation ecosystem that the IIHS hopes to draw upon and help further catalyse."

The IIHS Universities Academic Program will consist of globally benchmarked Masters, Bachelors and Doctoral degrees bringing together a wide set of disciplines and practice areas central to India's urban transformation. The curriculum framework has been designed by a global network of close to 200 leading academics, policymakers and practitioners and knowledge partners that include MIT, University College London (UCL), the University of Cape Town and renowned praxis institutions like ARUP.

About Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS)
The Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) is a national education institution committed to the equitable, sustainable and efficient transformation of Indian settlements. IIHS is India's first prospective independently funded and managed inter-disciplinary national University for Research and Innovation that focuses on its ongoing urban and development transformation. It is a first-of-its-kind, learning, research, practice and innovation-oriented knowledge initiative that seeks to bridge the conventional excellence, scale and inclusion divide. For more information, see www.iihs.co.in.

Media Contact:

Gutenberg Communications
Priscilla May D'Souza
priscilla@gutenbergpr.com
+91 9663021035

Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS)
Sathish Selvakumar
ssselvakumar@iihs.ac.in
+91 9900115247