£9M UK–India project in next-generation networks

The UK and Indian governments are to fund a £9 million next-generation networks project to bring online education, healthcare and early warning weather/natural disaster systems to remote areas in both countries. The five-year collaboration will establish a virtual research centre to look for solutions from emerging and existing technologies.

The project will consider how technology such as wireless sensor networks could be used to deliver healthcare where resources are limited, and automatically deliver real-time data, recording environmental measurements such as pollution levels and seismic activity.

It will also examine how existing IT infrastructure like copper cable networks can perform better and how best to set up optical infrastructure and implement UK broadband technology across India.

The project grant comprises £2.5 million from Research Councils UK matched by £2.5 million from the Indian government’s Department of Science and Technology, with a further £4 million provided by a consortium of academic and industrial partners. These include the industrial lead BT, Infosys, Wipro, Sasken, Midas and Tejas. The University of Ulster in Northern Ireland is the lead UK institution, with University College London, and the universities of Surrey, Southampton, Bristol, St Andrews, Lancaster, Cambridge and Queen Mary taking part. Five Indian research institutes are involved: IIT Madras is the lead Indian institute, along with Delhi, Mumbai, Kanpur and IISc Bangalore. A number of SMEs are also involved.