New Delhi, Dec 9 (IANS) The University of Chicago Trust in India and the Airawat Research Foundation (ARF) at IIT Kanpur on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on reducing Delhi’s in-use vehicular emissions, alleviating traffic congestion, and improving urban mobility.

The UChicago Trust, through the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC India), will work with ARF, which serves as the AI Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cities, led by IIT Kanpur, to co-develop evidence-based policy proposals, share and analyse traffic and emissions data, create advanced decision-support systems, and design pilot interventions.

The partnership is aimed at supporting Delhi’s transport agencies with clearer data, practical tools, and a stronger base for decisions that can improve air quality and make travel smoother across the city.

Speaking about the collaboration, Dr Kaushik Deb, Executive Director, EPIC India, said, “This partnership merges EPIC’s policy research with IIT Kanpur’s cutting-edge AI expertise. By working together, we will provide Delhi’s planners with the rigorous data and analytics they need to design and implement targeted interventions that reduce pollution and enhance mobility.”

Adding further, Prof. Sachchida Nand Tripathi, Executive Director of the Airawat Research Foundation, IIT Kanpur, said, “We are pleased to partner with EPIC India in this initiative. Our AI-driven urban analytics, combined with EPIC’s deep understanding of transport policy, will help us apply advanced AI and ML techniques to assess vehicular emissions, congestion trends, and health implications, generating actionable policy insights. Together, we will translate research into concrete actions for sustainable city mobility.”

Both institutions view this as a multi-year effort that draws on research, data, and institutional experience to help Delhi move toward a more reliable, efficient, and cleaner transport network. In the coming months, the partnership will concentrate on priority areas with government agencies, including the analysis of high-value datasets, strengthening decision-support systems for in-use vehicular emissions management, and co-developing proposals for interventions that support better air quality and public health.

The organisations will also explore pilot projects that test approaches combining research, technology, policy design, and on-ground implementation.

The pact was signed in the presence of senior leadership from the UChicago Trust and the Airawat Research Foundation at a conference on India’s next decade of vehicular emissions reform, hosted by EPIC India, here.

–IANS

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