IIT Ropar and University of Western Sydney Partner to Advance Smart Agriculture
In a significant move set to reshape the future of agricultural innovation, ANNAM.AI at IIT Ropar and the University of Western Sydney (UWS) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) along with a detailed work plan to establish a Joint Center of Excellence in Noida. The agreement was formalised in the presence of Australian Education Minister Jason Clare and Prof. Rajeev Ahuja, Director of IIT Ropar, marking a major milestone in India–Australia scientific and academic collaboration. The proposed center will focus on AI-driven agriculture, farm automation, climate-resilient farming practices, and next-generation agri-supply chains, leveraging the complementary strengths of both globally respected institutions.
This collaboration brings together IIT Ropar’s deep expertise in agri-technology through its ANNAM.AI initiative and the internationally recognised research ecosystem of UWS. ANNAM.AI has emerged as a national leader in AI-enabled soil intelligence, precision agriculture, and farmer-centric digital platforms, while UWS is globally renowned for its Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, a leading center for research on plant-soil-climate interactions. Speaking at the ceremony, Prof. Rajeev Ahuja described the partnership as more than a formal agreement, stating that it represents a commitment to building one of the world’s most advanced agricultural intelligence ecosystems that will empower Indian farmers with tools that are accurate, affordable, and accessible.
Australian Education Minister Jason Clare highlighted the shared vision of both nations for sustainable agriculture, noting that the joint center would accelerate innovation, deepen academic ties, and generate real-world impact for millions of farmers. Echoing this sentiment, the President of the University of Western Sydney remarked that the partnership would combine UWS’s global research strengths with India’s scale and diversity, creating a model for international collaboration aimed at securing the future of food systems worldwide.
The Joint Center of Excellence will function as a hub for cutting-edge agricultural research, industry collaboration, and farmer-focused technology deployment. Its core focus areas will include AI-powered soil and crop diagnostics, automation and robotics for farm operations, climate-adaptive farming models, digital twins for agriculture, sustainable water and nutrient management, and advanced agri-supply chain analytics. In addition, the center will support joint PhD programs, faculty exchanges, and industry-backed innovation challenges, fostering a strong talent pipeline. By combining IIT Ropar’s leadership in engineering and artificial intelligence with UWS’s strengths in environmental and agricultural sciences, the initiative aims to enable data-driven decision-making for farmers, scale precision agriculture, strengthen food security through predictive analytics, and catalyse new agri-tech startups and rural innovation clusters.
Located in Noida, the center will benefit from close proximity to industry partners, government agencies, and innovation ecosystems, ensuring rapid translation of research into field-ready solutions. The MoU, signed on December 09, reflects a shared commitment to addressing global challenges such as climate change, soil degradation, and food security. Emphasising the transformative potential of the collaboration, Prof. Pushpendra P. Singh, Project Director of ANNAM.AI at IIT Ropar, noted that modern agriculture demands precision, prediction, and personalization, adding that when advanced science meets the soil, farmers benefit and nations prosper.
