Overview

Where Ecology Meets Innovation

Our Centre of Excellence in Nature-Based Solutions (CoE–NBS) focuses on developing people-centric, sustainable, and affordable solutions to address pressing urban and environmental challenges. The Centre bridges research, practice, and community engagement, transforming rooftops, soils, water systems, and neighbourhoods through nature-inspired approaches.

By aligning interdisciplinary research with real-world implementation, CoE–NBS enables cities and communities to adopt solutions that enhance resilience, biodiversity, and quality of life.

Driven by Our Vision

We aim to drive societal impact by integrating people-centric nature-based solutions into urban spaces, enhancing resilience, biodiversity, and well-being while making sustainability accessible to all.

Guided by Our Mission

  • Develop innovative nature-based solutions for urban resilience and climate adaptation.
  • Translate interdisciplinary research into practical and scalable interventions.
  • Engage communities, policymakers, and industries in sustainable transformation.
  • Enhance education, training, and skill development in Nature-Based Solutions.
  • Promote policy integration and industry collaboration.
  • Establish urban demonstration hubs as living laboratories.
Objectives

Our Strategic Objectives

Conduct research addressing climate adaptation and urban sustainability challenges.

Develop scalable, context-specific solutions for Indian cities and communities.

Enable knowledge transfer through outreach, workshops, and training.

Support industry collaboration and green innovation.

Strengthen community-led sustainability initiatives.

Major Projects

Areas of Impact

  • Urban resilience and climate adaptation
  • Green roofs and vertical greening systems
  • Sponge cities and nature-based water management
  • Waste-to-soil systems and technosols (ReSoil)
  • Urban food systems and edible green roofs
  • Community-scale urban greening
TEAM MEMBERS

The Minds Behind the Centre

Dr. Mithun Hanumesh

Assistant Professor and Assistant Director

CoE–NBS

Mohan M

Phd Scholar

Alliance University

Vishnu T

PhD Scholar

Alliance University

Infrastructure and Living Laboratories

Testing Sustainability in Real Environments

The Centre uses the campus itself as a living laboratory, enabling real-world experimentation and demonstration.

  • Pilot installations for green roofs and water management systems
  • Soil and substrate testing facilities
  • Planned environmental monitoring tools
  • Collaborative workspaces for students, researchers, and partners
Industry and Government Partnerships

Collaborating with Industry and Government Leaders

With strategic partnerships, we translate research into implementable urban sustainability models.

  • Total Environment – Green roofs, geotextiles, technosols, biochar materials
  • Foodwize – Urban food system initiatives
  • Engagements with local civic bodies for urban greening pilots
Academic Integration and Learning Programs

Bridging Academia with Industry Practice

We integrate sustainability-focused learning into the academic journey by combining classroom knowledge with applied, real-world engagement. Our programs enable students to explore nature-based solutions through interdisciplinary study, field-based learning, and experiential projects.

  • Minor in Nature-Based Solutions
  • Environmental Science for Sustainable Business
  • Natural Intelligence
  • Solving for Bharat
  • Social Internship Programs
  • Course of Independent Study (CIS) projects
  • Short-term certification programs and seasonal immersion courses

We also plan to offer customised training modules and workshops for professionals, municipal bodies, and corporate sustainability teams.

Internships and Live Projects
Experiential Learning in Action

Over 600 students have participated in multidisciplinary internships and sustainability projects under CoE mentorship, working on real-world issues such as waste management, urban cooling, and food systems.

Ongoing and Completed Projects
  • ReSoil – Waste-to-soil circular systems
  • Top Tier Food – Edible green roof systems
  • Panchabhuta Projects – Integrated ecological design initiatives
  • Chandapura GreenPrint – Local area sustainability planning
  • Urban Slum Greening (SlumBloom) – Community-based greening programs
  • NatureNest – Student-led NBS Club initiative
Consultancy and Advisory Services

Translating Sustainability into Implementation

Our Centre extends its expertise beyond academia by supporting organisations, planners, and communities in designing and implementing nature-based approaches to urban sustainability. Through advisory and knowledge-driven engagement, we help translate research insights into practical, context-sensitive solutions.

  • Green roofs and urban heat mitigation
  • Sustainable materials and nature-based urban design
  • Environmental planning and resilience strategies (planned expansion)
Achievements and Impact

Achievements that Shape the Future

Through collaborative research, student engagement, and community-driven initiatives, our Centre is advancing practical models of environmental resilience while strengthening Alliance University’s contribution to sustainable development discourse.

Social Impact
  • Implemented community-based greening and planning initiatives addressing urban heat, waste, and environmental inequity.
  • Promoted low-cost, scalable sustainability models suited to Indian urban contexts.
  • Demonstrated that sustainability can be inclusive and accessible across homes, schools, and neighbourhoods.
  • Engaged 600+ undergraduate students across disciplines.
  • Enabled hands-on fieldwork, experimentation, and design-led sustainability problem-solving.
  • Fostered multidisciplinary collaboration across Engineering, Law, Business, and Liberal Arts.
  • Established the Nature-Based Solutions Club to cultivate sustainability culture.
  • Introduced new academic pathways including interdisciplinary minors.
  • Created a pipeline linking internships, CIS projects, and research outputs to academic credit and innovation outcomes.
  • Strengthened Alliance University’s visibility through national submissions and collaborations, including the FICCI Bharat R&D Summit.
Research, Innovation, and Student Opportunities

Exploration to Application

By combining academic inquiry with real-world application, we provide opportunities to enable our students to develop practical expertise while contributing to meaningful environmental solutions.

  • Structured research internships for UG and PG students
  • Bachelor’s, Minor, and PhD thesis opportunities aligned with CoE themes
  • Research assistantships and fellowship guidance
  • Sustainability-focused design challenges and innovation competitions
  • Mentorship for student startups in social entrepreneurship and sustainability
Gallery and Community Engagement

In Focus

Our Team

Classroom

Library

Campus

Campus

Campus

Campus

Laboratory

Study Hours

Hostel

Hostel

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