IIT Roorkee partners with Forum of Regulators to establish Centre of Excellence for regulatory affairs

Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee has joined hands with the Forum of Regulators (FOR) to establish a Centre of Excellence for regulatory affairs. The centre aims to strengthen evidence-based policymaking and sectoral governance, for alignment with the National Education Policy 2020 and National Energy Goals and an MoU has been signed in this regard, an official statement said.

IIT Roorkee director KK Pant said: “This Centre of Excellence is a timely initiative that positions IIT Roorkee as a national think tank for regulatory and policy research. By fostering data-driven policymaking and technical capacity building, we aim to contribute meaningfully to India’s growth story and the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047.”

IIT Roorkee Centre of Excellence

The FOR was established under the Electricity Act 2003 and so, the joint centre of excellence will focus on electricity regulation in the beginning, gradually expanding into other critical infrastructure. The centre aims to provide advisory services, cutting-edge technical research, and initiate a dialogue between regulators, industry, and academia.

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An MoU was signed on May 26, 2025, in the presence of Naveen K Navani, dean of academic affairs; Arun Kumar, department of hydro and renewable energy; Sanjeev Kumar Prajapati, head of the department of hydro and renewable energy; Harpreet Singh Pruthi, secretary of the FOR and Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC); SK Chatterjee, chief of regulatory affairs (CERC); and KK Pant. The signing ceremony also included faculty members and officials like Sunil Kumar Singal and Himanshu Jain.

Forum of Regulators funding

The Centre of Excellence for Regulatory Affairs will receive initial funding from the Forum of Regulators itself.

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Pruthi said, “The Centre of Excellence will serve as a dynamic platform for empowering regulators, industry experts, and policymakers through rigorous research, capacity building, and forward-thinking dialogue… The synergy between FOR’s regulatory vision and IIT Roorkee’s academic leadership will play a pivotal role in shaping India’s infrastructure and energy future”.