New Delhi :The Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi (IIITD) has established a new Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Human-Centered Computing. The CoE will focus on teaching relevant courses on Human-Centered Computing and will also facilitate research collaborations, capacity building, and exchange of researchers and experts between the European Union (EU) and India.  The CoE is established as part of the EU Erasmus+ Design and Innovation Capacity Building (DESINNO) project that brings together IIITD, World University Of Design (WUD), and Regional Institute of Management and Technology (RIMT) from India; and University of Aegean, Greece, Brunel University, UK, and Politecnico di Milano, Italy, and CREATHIDEV from Europe which are anchoring the activities under this project from India and the EU respectively.

Human-Centered Computing combines design principles with computing to help develop systems that support human capabilities and cater to human needs; for example, in a recent work, the researchers developed a mobile-based learning platform for community health workers. The platform is designed so that it becomes easy to use by community health workers who have low technology exposure.  CoE aims to develop design and technology solutions to enhance human capabilities in different domains of interest. The CoE will also support entrepreneurs and researchers by bringing them together on one platform with expert mentors available from all fields. The CoE provides state-of-the-art fabrication facilities with the latest computing and design equipment to support entrepreneurial and research activities.

The CoE will be driven by Prof Pushpendra Singh, who leads a vibrant and active research group on human-centered computing at IIITD. The group members are actively engaged in cutting-edge human-centered computing research related to healthcare, education, women safety, among others.

“As India strives to achieve sustainable development goals, the role of human-centered computing becomes increasingly important in developing technology solutions that holistically support human activities.  IIIT-Delhi is at the forefront of Human-centered Computing research, and with the CoE in place, the research will get a further push. The members of the CoE are accomplished researchers in the area with notable work done in the fields of public health, education, and women’s safety. The CoE will provide an impetus to develop technology solutions, connecting entrepreneurs and researchers, that tackle challenging problems of social good.,” the  IIITD said in an official statement.

Prof. Philip Azariadis, University of the Aegean congratulated the IIITD  and said, “I welcome the establishment of the CoE in Human-Centred Computing in IIIT-D university as part of the international DESINNO project. The new CoE will provide a solid ground for the institute to support the academic and the design community, to improve the collaboration with the Industrial Sector and to reinforce the internationalization perspectives and modernization of the offered curricula.”