NIT Rourkela secures two SPARC projects worth Rs 1.82 Crore to boost global research collaboration

The National Institute of Technology Rourkela (NIT Rourkela) has secured two research projects under the scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC), an initiative of the ministry of education, with a total sanctioned funding of Rs 1.82 crore. Each project will run for a period of two years.

The project, titled “Smart Exoskeletons in Healthcare: Principle and Practices for Developing Scalable Exosuits for Rural Applications”, has received funding of Rs 95.16 lakh. Led by Anup Nandy, associate professor, department of computer science and engineering, with Ratnakar Dash as co-principal investigator (Co-PI), the project is being implemented in collaboration with the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the USA.

The research aims to develop affordable, scalable, and user-friendly wearable robotic exoskeletons to assist elderly and post-stroke patients, particularly in rural and clinical healthcare settings.

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The second project, “Novel Disruptive Technology: Design and Development of Smart and Sustainable Technology for Agri-Food Systems”, has been sanctioned for Rs 87.24 lakh. This project is led by Madhuresh Dwivedi, associate professor, department of food process engineering, along with Rama Chandra Pradhan as Co-PI.

Global collaboration with real-world impact

The international collaboration involves researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada, and the British Columbia Institute of Technology.

The project will focus on developing a non-destructive, rapid sensing technology to assess the quality and safety of agri-food products in real time, with the potential to improve food safety, reduce wastage, and support stakeholders across the agri-food value chain.

“Together, the two projects highlight NIT Rourkela’s growing international research engagement and its emphasis on application-oriented research with meaningful societal impact,” the institute said.