The Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) hosted the Director General of International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and his team for detailed discussions on strengthening collaboration in water research, climate resilience, and policy engagement on February 26, 2026. The meeting marked an important step toward formalising a partnership that seeks to connect rigorous scientific research with actionable field-level impact.The discussions opened with Prof Praharsh Patel, Faculty of Environmental Economics, sharing a comparative review of groundwater depletion in Gujarat and Western India, noting that several regions of Gujarat have experimented with policies to arrest the further depletion. The exchange underscored the importance of science-backed and socially-grounded water management research for pragmatic policy and on-ground action.Prof Vimal Mishra, Dean of Research and Development, IITGN, in his opening remarks shed light upon the institute’s newly established interdisciplinary research clusters including Climate, Water, and Infrastructure; Advanced Materials; Energy; Healthcare and Medtech; and AI. “The cluster model is designed to encourage flexible collaboration across domains, enabling researchers to collectively address complex challenges such as groundwater sustainability, climate adaptation, and resource governance,” explained Prof Mishra. Both institutions expressed interest in working with faculty involved in these research clusters, while jointly developing research initiatives, policy dialogues, and field-based projects.The visiting delegates included Dr Mark Smith, Director General, IWMI; Dr Alok Sikka, Country Representative, IWMI; Mr Shilp Verma, Deputy Country Representative, IWMI; and officials from IWMI’s Office situated at Anand, Nikunj Usadadia and Punjan Patel. Dr Mark Smith shared the evolution of their Water Policy Programme, initiated in 2001 with support from the Tata Trusts. “The programme was established with a clear mandate: to translate science into policy and field action,” stated Dr Smith. “While rooted in water research, its focus extends to livelihoods, energy, and broader socio-economic systems.” Over the years, it has worked to ensure that scientific evidence meaningfully shapes public policy and development practice. He also highlighted, “Although IWMI is a global institute, it is very much Gujarati as IWMI-Tata Program that was based out of Anand produced exceptional research and impact in the water sector.”Under this Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), IITGN and IWMI will collaborate across the themes of Water, Food and Ecosystems; Water, Climate Change and Resilience; and Water, Growth and Inclusion, advancing science, technology, and digital innovation in water management, climate action, food and land systems, and resource governance. The partnership will help foster applied policy research, develop interdisciplinary programmes, enable joint research proposals to national and international agencies, student internships, co-organised training programmes and seminars, and shared outreach to strengthen engagement with stakeholders in India and globally.Prof Rajat Moona, Director, IITGN, proceeded to share information about IITGN’s vibrant innovation ecosystem of motivated students, including its research park that incubates over 30 startups working at the intersection of water, agriculture, climate science, and artificial intelligence. “It is this integration of academic research, entrepreneurship, and policy engagement that will provide a strong foundation for future collaboration,” expressed Prof Moona. The proposed alliance reflects a shared commitment to strengthening India’s water security framework by combining scientific excellence, institutional experience, grounded understanding of field realities, and new energy of exceptional student talent at IITGN.
