IIT Kanpur and La Trobe University have a joint PhD agreement. The 40 PhD students who will be recruited into the academy over the next two years will undertake a joint PhD. They will be supervised by academic staff from both institutions and will receive a scholarship co-founded by IIT Kanpur and La Trobe. Students will have the opportunity to work on a global smart cities problem, including projects in transport, urban planning, health, agriculture and food security, environment and heritage. They will have opportunity to work with an industry partner and all will spent one year of their degree based at a La Trobe campus in Victoria, Australia. Students completing the course will graduate from both institutions with a jointly awarded PhD.