Central University of Haryana bags Rs 90.53 lakh international research project on AI use in agriculture

The Central University of Haryana (CUH), Mahendragarh, has achieved another significant milestone in international research collaboration with the sanction of a prestigious SPARC (Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration) project by the Ministry of Education, Government of India.

The sanctioned project, titled “AI-Enabled Phenomics and Genomic Prediction for Climate-Resilient Crop Improvement”, has been approved under the SPARC theme Agri & Food Technologies for the period from June 1, 2026, to May 31, 2028, with a total sanctioned budget of Rs 90.53 lakh.

The project will be led by Principal Investigator Prof Rupesh Deshmukh of the Department of Biotechnology, Central University of Haryana, along with Co-Principal Investigators Prof Humira Sonah and Dr Keshav Singh Rawat.

The international collaborating team includes Prof Sigfredo Fuentes and Dr Sajitha Biju from the University of Melbourne. Under this initiative, PhD scholars Badal Mahakalkar and Pawan Kumar will carry out research at the University of Melbourne for six months.

This exchange will enable them to share knowledge, access advanced expertise at both centres, and strengthen the future roadmap of the collaborative project.

The project aims to integrate artificial intelligence, phenomics, and genomic prediction approaches to develop climate-resilient crop varieties that can withstand environmental stresses and ensure sustainable agricultural productivity.

The sanctioned project also includes international faculty visits, student exchange programmes, workshops, consumables, publications, and research dissemination activities aimed at strengthening global academic partnerships and advancing cutting-edge agricultural research.

CUH Vice-Chancellor Prof Tankeshwar Kumar and Registrar Prof Suneel Kumar congratulated the project team on the successful implementation of the international collaborative research initiative.

The Vice-Chancellor appreciated the research team for bringing global recognition to the university through high-impact scientific collaboration.