Coimbatore’s Anna University Regional Campus wins Rs 1.29 crore under CMRF scheme

COIMBATORE: Anna University Regional Campus in Coimbatore has bagged Rs 1.29 crore from the Chief Minister’s Research Fund (CMRG) for four science-first projects targeting cleaner mobility, greener power grids, inclusive AI learning and smarter water safety.

The faculty-led studies span a low-cost hydrogen vehicle and pump-station alternative, natural-oil transformer insulation to cut pollution, an AI website for disabled learners, and real-time wastewater treatment monitoring.

Dr K Rajasekar’s project, “Development of a Robust Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM)-Based Electrolyzer with Cost-Effective Catalysts for Green Hydrogen Production,” has been sanctioned Rs 35.54 lakh under the CMRG Scheme for 36 months. It targets efficient, durable and affordable AEM electrolyzers using low-cost catalysts to cut reliance on precious metals and enable renewable-powered hydrogen. It supports clean energy, fuel-cell mobility, grid storage, green ammonia, industrial decarbonisation and fertilizers and explores ammonia-based storage and hydrogen refuelling stations, aiming for a 30% lower vehicle cost. Dr Alagunambi Ramasubbu is the co-principal investigator of the project.

A project to replace mineral transformer oil with renewable vegetable oils has been sanctioned Rs 25 lakh under the CMRF scheme. Dr S Sumathi, an assistant professor in the EEE department, is leading the project. The study tests dielectric strength, thermal performance and aging under Indian grid conditions, aligned with International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards. Biodegradable, non-toxic oils with higher flash and fire points can cut pollution, improve safety and support a circular economy.

A 24-month project, “Adaptive Learning Platform for Fair and Inclusive Exam Preparation,” led by Dr S N Mahalakshmi, an assistant professor in English and head of science & humanities department, will build an AI-NLP adaptive platform for disabled, economically disadvantaged and socially marginalised exam aspirants. It has been sanctioned Rs 19.28 lakh for Braille displays, Daisy players, smart pens, audio devices, transcription tablets, JAWS, ZoomText and Articulate 360, enabling a low-bandwidth bilingual Tamil-English system with teacher dashboards.

Dr M Yuvaraj, an assistant professor in the computer science department, has developed a digital twin technology for wastewater treatment enabling round-the-clock monitoring, and the project has received a Rs 24 lakh sanction under the CMRF scheme.

Dr M Saravanakumar, dean of Anna University Regional Campus, said the state scheme sanctioned three projects last year and four this year, taking ongoing projects to seven. The projects strengthen labs, expand research scope and motivate students through internships. Four domains target urgent societal problems, scaling impact in energy, education and public health.