The PLuS Alliance – a partnership between Arizona State University (ASU), King’s College London (KCL) and University of New South Wales, Sydney (UNSW) – has signed a MoU with the Pune Smart City Development Corporation Limited to advance on the education, research and outreach projects that address pressing urbanisation challenges to make it a smart city.
“Collaboration is key if we are to find effective solutions to the challenges of rapid urbanisation – and to the sustainable and inclusive development Pune Smart City Development Corporation aspires to,” UNSW President and Vice – Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs said in a statement.
The MoU has been signed on the sidelines of the 11th Annual Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) Summit in New Delhi last week.
Speaking on the development of the collaboration, Rubal Agarwal, Additional Municipal Commissioner and CEO, PSCDCL said, “The partnership of Pune Smart City with the PLuS Alliance is a great opportunity for Pune to benefit from the depth of expertise which would become available in solving various challenges arising out of urbanisation.”
Under the agreement, the PLuS Alliance and PSCDCL will work in collaboration on activities such as designing networking events, education programs, securing business, government and industry sponsors on projects as well as identifying specific research projects for future collaborations.
Professor Jacobs also made an announcement that UNSW would award two PhD scholarships to help “advance the principle of Pune as a living laboratory.”
