Mysuru: The Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering (VVCE), Mysuru, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar to establish an Agriculture and Water Technology Development Hub (AWaDH) and a Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) Laboratory on its campus.Significantly, this marks IIT Ropar’s first collaboration in Karnataka, expanding the institute’s national footprint in advanced research and innovation. The new laboratory at VVCE will be supported under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS), a flagship initiative of the Union govt aimed at fostering cutting-edge research and technology development in cyber-physical systems.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Prof Rajeev Ahuja, director of IIT Ropar; B Sadashive Gowda, principal of VVCE; MK Surappa, advisor to VVCE, former director of IIT Ropar, and former vice-chancellor of Anna University (2018–2021); and Pushpendra P Singh, project director, IIT Ropar Technology Innovation Foundation (TIF).Shilpa BS, associate professor in department of civil engineering at VVCE, will coordinate activities of the AWaDH CPS Lab.The AWaDH initiative at IIT Ropar, supported under NM-ICPS, focuses on domains such as smart agriculture, water resource management, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, robotics, and data analytics. Through this partnership, VVCE will set up a state-of-the-art CPS laboratory aligned with AWaDH’s mission to drive translational research and deliver real-world technological solutions.Speaking on the occasion, Prof Ahuja expressed his happiness over collaborating with an institution in a Tier-II city like Mysuru, noting that such locations offer significant scope—and a real need—for the application of AWaDH technologies. He emphasised that expanding advanced research capabilities beyond metropolitan centres is crucial for inclusive technological growth.Principal Sadashive Gowda said the AWaDH CPS Lab will be housed in the department of civil engineering and will substantially enhance hands-on learning, sponsored research, consultancy activities, and start-up incubation at the institution.
