Leveraging knowledge resources to benefit Indian society
Mumbai: Tata Trusts and Harvard University South Asia Institute (SAI) have embarked on a new collaborative journey in knowledge creation and capacity building for social and economic empowerment in India. The 18-month research project titled, 'Livelihood Creation in India through Social Entrepreneurship and Skill Development' is the first step in this direction. The project will focus on three key areas including rural livelihood creation (emphasis on the handicrafts and handloom sectors); educational, social and economic empowerment of women; and science and technology-based interventions for poverty alleviation.
Emphasising the relevance of this collaboration, R. Venkataramanan, Executive Trustee, Tata Trusts said, "Under this collaboration with Harvard University's South Asia Institute, we will develop entrepreneurship opportunities that will help provide sustainable prosperity to the local communities. This approach combined with Tata Trusts philanthropic vision will help narrow down the existing gap between the demand and supply of skilled labour."
"The long-term objective of the collaboration is to combine India's and Harvard's knowledge resources to benefit the disadvantaged sections of society. Management thinkers, legal scholars, scientists, technologists, human development and public policy experts from Harvard will partner with government and academic institutions, NGOs, civil society organisations and philanthropic foundations in India. Harvard will work with these change agents and seek out ways to add value to the work they are doing," said Tarun Khanna, Director, SAI.
Tata Trusts
The Tata Trusts are among India's oldest, non-sectarian philanthropic organisations that work in several areas of community development. Tata Trusts seek to be catalysts in development through giving grants to institutions and executing large projects in the areas of Natural Resources Management, Rural Livelihoods, Urban Livelihoods & Poverty, Education, Enhancing Civil Society and Governance, Health and Arts and Culture. Over the last many decades, the Tata Trusts have facilitated various development projects in the areas of skill development, women's empowerment, technology and education. The skill development project led to improved employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for the youth. It has supported organisations that cater to this area through creation of a residential course model based on a comprehensive package of activities. These include completion of secondary education, life skills, vocational training and personality development. Details can be accessed at tatatrusts.org.
The Multi-Disciplinary Harvard Team
Founded in 2003 to further Harvard University's engagement with South Asia, SAI is a university-wide research institute. SAI connects faculty and students with regional partners and advances interdisciplinary scholarship on South Asia. Over the past decade, SAI has built an extensive network of stakeholders, significantly impacting social entrepreneurship and livelihood creation in the region. SAI's network includes over 1,700 Harvard alumni from across various disciplines who lead organisations in the public and private sectors in India, and over 150 faculty members who focus their cutting-edge research and teaching on issues directly related to South Asia.
This project is led by Tarun Khanna, Director, Harvard University South Asia Institute; Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor, Harvard Business School; and Chairman, NITI Aayog Expert Committee on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Government of India. Shashank Shah, Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University South Asia Institute; and Visiting Scholar, Harvard Business School will serve as the Project Director.
The multi-disciplinary Harvard team includes but is not limited to Namrata Arora, SAI Associate Director (India), SAI; Satchit Balsari, Chief, Weill Cornell Global Emergency Medicine Division, and Faculty, FXB Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Jacqueline Bhabha, FXB Director of Research and Professor of the Practice of Health and Human Rights, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; and Lecturer in Law, Harvard Law School; Martha Chen, Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School; and Affiliated Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Design; Meena Hewett, Executive Director, SAI; Mukti Khaire, Associate Professor in Business Administration, Harvard Business School; and Visiting Associate Professor, Brown University; Venkatesh Narayanamurti, Professor of Technology and Public Policy and Professor of Physics, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; Ambuj Sagar, Professor of Policy Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi; and Visiting Fellow, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.