Prof Madhavan, Prof Suriya, Prof Sireesh, Prof Kiran, Mr Ajay & Mr Prasad on the MoU exchange day Source: Directly sourced
IIT Hyderabad has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, to develop cutting-edge technologies for Highway Infrastructure Building.
Present at the occasion Prof Kiran Kuchi, Dean (R&D), IITH, while signing the MoU, stated, “This is one of the pioneering initiatives of NHAI to support state-of-the-art research in transportation through a Centre of Excellence.”
Supporting the initiative with IITH, Mr Ajay Sabharwall, GM(Tech), NHAI-New Delhi, and Mr Krishna Prasad, DGM & RO, NHAI-Hyderabad, added, “We are confident in demonstrating new technologies in pavements and bridge infrastructure in partnership with IITH.”
Outlining the significance of the occasion, Prof BS Murty, Director, IITH, mentioned, “The new HUB is possibly the first of its kind in an IIT system, will complement the recently inaugurated test bed for the ‘Technology Innovation Hub for Autonomous Navigation and Data Acquisition Systems (TiHAN)’ at the Institute in demonstrating innovative technologies. In addition, it is going to bring a number of innovative technologies in the field of transportation.”
Prof Sireesh Saride, Professor of Civil Engineering and Chair, TRI HUB, briefed about the hub, by stating “We are resolute in achieving the project deliverables in time and demonstrating new technologies and methodologies to build smart and sustainable National Highways. The new methodologies, including geosynthetics, reclaimed materials, glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP), rebars for bridges and pavements, and retrofitting strategies for aging bridges, among other solutions, are going to provide long-lasting and sustainable highway infrastructure for smart Indian Highways.”
As part of this HUB, Prof Suriya Prakash S, Prof Umashankar B, Prof Mahendra Kumar Madhavan, Dr Munwar Basha, and Dr Anil Agarwal, along with Prof Sireesh S, will work on 10 different innovative projects to deliver the objectives.