Blog Article
Birmingham City University has launched an exciting new international collaboration, SSG-Bridge: Enhancing Urban Resilience and Sustainability through UK-India Collaboration, aimed at tackling some of the most pressing urban challenges of our time. The project, which brings together researchers from BCU, Lovely Professional University (LPU), and the Munjal BCU Centre of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (MBCIE), will focus on advancing sustainable urban development, digital innovation, and community-driven solutions in the UK and India.
Funded by British Council as part of the ISPF Resilient Planet Capacity Strengthening Programme, the SSG-Bridge project will facilitate knowledge exchange, capacity-building activities, and the development of practical strategies to support smart, sustainable, and green cities. It will include symposiums in India and the UK, feasibility studies, faculty training programmes, and support for early career researchers (ECRs), ensuring a lasting impact on both academia and industry.
Dr Vahid Javidroozi, project lead and Co-lead of the Smart, Sustainable, and Green Cities Research Alliance at BCU highlighted the significance of this initiative:
"Cities across the world are at a critical juncture, facing challenges of climate change, digital transformation, and rapid urbanisation. Through this collaboration, we are not only strengthening our international partnerships but also co-developing solutions that integrate nature, technology, and communities to create more liveable cities for the future."
This initiative is closely aligned with the SSG Research Alliance, based in the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment. Over the past few years, the SSG team have worked extensively on interdisciplinary urban research, bringing together expertise in digital technologies, sustainable infrastructure, and governance models. The group has been instrumental in shaping dialogues around Net Zero, digital twins, AI-driven urban design, and citizen engagement. The SSG-Bridge project builds upon these foundations and extends the impact of BCU’s research on an international scale.
As the project unfolds, BCU and its partners will explore innovative governance models, use serious gaming for community participation, and apply cutting-edge digital tools to reimagine urban resilience and sustainability. This partnership represents a major step towards fostering long-term collaborations between the UK and India, with the potential to transform urban futures in both countries.