The U.S.-India State and Urban Initiative Announces a Partnership between the Government of Madhya Pradesh and the University of Central Florida
October 23, 2018
WASHINGTON, October 23, 2018: The U.S.-India State and Urban Initiative, led by the CSIS Wadhwani Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies and the CSIS Energy and National Security Program, is pleased to announce a partnership between the state government of Madhya Pradesh in India and the University of Central Florida (UCF) as part of the Initiative’s ongoing work.
Facilitated by CSIS, the government of Madhya Pradesh and UCF signed an agreement to cooperate on a range of research areas, including energy, and to develop joint educational programs. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was the result of an April visit to Orlando, Florida by Madhya Pradesh Principal Secretary Vivek Aggarwal, facilitated by CSIS. In addition to meeting with UCF officials, Mr. Aggarwal met with Mayor of Orlando Buddy Dyer, officials from the government of Orange County, and representatives of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Orlando.
“This partnership will open the door to greater energy and smart city technology cooperation between the central Florida region and the cities in the heart of India,” said Kartikeya Singh, deputy director and fellow of CSIS’s Wadhwani Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies.
The agreement includes scope for research pilots on sensors, rooftop solar, and energy efficiency; training courses on energy construction technologies; a potential wind turbine testing facility in Madhya Pradesh with design and support assistance from UCF’s Center for Advanced Turbomachinery and Energy Research (CATER); and a training course for state-owned utility company professionals organized by the power systems team at University of Central Florida.
In addition to energy, this partnership will facilitate student and faculty exchange programs focused on a range of disciplines including a one-plus-one master’s program; research on urban ecology and wildlife conservation in Madhya Pradesh; and a study on the feasibility of CATER deploying waste heat recovery technology suitable for cement plants in consultation with industry stakeholders based in Madhya Pradesh.
Another collaboration announced under this partnership is between B-Nest, an incubation center launched by the Bhopal Smart City Development Corporation Limited in Madhya Pradesh, and UCF, which will allow UCF students to launch ventures in Madhya Pradesh and take advantage of the Madhya Pradesh Venture Fund. In addition, the agreement should facilitate engagements and market opportunities connecting the private sector in central Florida to those in Madhya Pradesh.
To facilitate working-level discussion under the agreement, Dr. Michael Johnson, dean of UCF’s College of Sciences and interim director of the India Center, will lead a UCF delegation to Madhya Pradesh starting October 25. The delegation will visit Indore, the state’s most populous city, and the state capital of Bhopal. The five-person delegation will include individuals with a range of academic and business interests. The UCF delegates will be hosted by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The delegates will visit the Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology in Bhopal and the Indian Institute of Technology Indore.