MIT Tata Center for Technology & Design

Overview 2014 Call for Proposals

Information Session

tatacenter.mit.edu

Tata Center Overview• Design in context of developing

world• Not necessarily Bottom of the Pyramid

• Window for graduate students and faculty• Students spend time in India

• Develop technologically sophisticated products & services• Shovel ready thesis• No “studies” per se, rather projects

with connections to designs/ implementation

• Commercial or government implementation is the goal

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Tata Center Key Data• 47 Graduate Student Tata Fellows• 30 Faculty representing 20 Departments/ Programs• 7 Postdocs & 6 Staff• 25 current projects in 5 focus areas• Projects can be single or multi-student

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Health Energy Water

Agriculture Housing/Infrastructure

What is a Tata Center project?

• Mitigates the “constraints” associated with the developing world• Scale• Cost• Infrastructure Dependency• Access to Energy, Water, etc.

• Develops solutions needed by the developing world that wouldn’t otherwise become available• Informed through close interactions with Indian

communities, business and government• Embodied in a thesis that provides the basis for new

product or system in the developing world4

• Katy Olesavanage Video

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Single Student Project Example: Prosthetic Foot Development

Multi-Student Project: Ad hoc Electric Grid Architecture for Universal Access

Develop a technology platform for electricity delivery• Peer-to-peer transactions mediated primarily by distributed intelligence• An intelligent ‘point-of-connection’ in place of current power electronics

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Electrification market analysis and design & construct GIS model

Y. Borofsky (DUSP)I. Perez-Arriaga (ESD)

Systems level design & analysis of proposed electrification scheme

D. Ellman (TPP)I. Perez-Arriaga (ESD)

Distributed control algorithm (software) for electricity distribution

D. Strawser (ME/Aero)B. Williams (Aero)

Power electronics design/construct, point of connection (hardware)

W. Inam (EECS)D. Perrault (EECS)

Principal Investigator/Project Coordinator: Rajeev Ram (EECS)Post Doctoral Fellow: Reja Amatya (MITEI)

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Learning on the ground…..visits to energy service providers in India

Mera Gao Power (MGP): DC micro grid operator

OMC Power: Anchor customer (Telecom tower)

Husk Power: AC mini-grid operator

Selco: Solar Home System

Tata Fellowship• Admitted by an MIT department, then apply to Tata Center• 2 years’ stipend, tuition & research budget support• Develop stakeholder-driven technical & business model solutions

for the resource constrained Indian environment, but with focus on wider applicability

• Integrates with department degree requirements• Significant travel to India: 6 week summer, 2 week IAP• Requires participation in the Tata Seminar (15.s17, 6 credits first

fall/spring, 3 credits 2nd year onwards)

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RFP Details• Open to all MIT community members with PI status• Focus on solving concrete challenges in India!• Require technology or business model development/application• Preference given to Tata focus areas, other areas considered

- Energy - Water - Housing/Infrastructure

- Health Care - Agriculture - Waste• Explain relevance of fieldwork in India & timeline to completion• PIs are strongly encouraged to actively participate in India

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RFP Awards• Awards consist of full 2-year fellowship for each student

• 2nd year award is contingent on student progress at the end of the 1st year

• $25,000 in funds per student per year to PI for use on the project or related activities

• Equipment budget of up to $25,000 per project• Must be specified in the proposal• One time award per project

• Funds for students/PIs to travel to India as needed

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Proposal GuidelinesSubmission Requirements

Cover pageProject TitleName, title, department of PI, Co-PI, investigatorsPhone, email address of primary contactNumber of Full-time Graduate Students RequestedEquipment Funds RequestedAbstractBrief description of problem/goals to be addressed

Applications should be submitted online. URL will be announced when the RFP is formally released on Dec. 13, 2013

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RFP Process & TimingOptional 1-page abstract •Submit by: Monday, January 6, 2014.•Feedback by: Monday, January 20, 2014

Full Release RFP: Friday, December 13, 2014

Proposal Deadline: Monday, Feb. 17, 2014

Awards Announced: Monday, March 3, 2014

Fellowship Nominations: no later than May 31, 2014

Project Start Date: June 1, 2014 (or later)

For more information contact:

Dr. Rich Roth, Executive Director rroth@mit.edu | +1.617.253.6487

Patricia Reilly, Assistant Director reilly@mit.edu | +1.617.324.7026

Dr. Rob Stoner, Co-Directorstoner@mit.edu | +1.617.715.5472

Professor Charlie Fine, Co-Directorcharley@mit.edu | +1.617.253.3632

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