SDG 1: No Poverty

SDG 1.1Research that tackles poverty

Open section 1.1 on its own page

UPES researchers design low-cost technologies and study the economics of small businesses, so that health care, clean fuel and decent livelihoods reach people on low incomes.

The figures below cover UPES research publications on poverty and its causes from 2021 to 2025 (source: Scopus, October 2026).

What the research covers

Number of 2021–2025 papers on each theme (a paper can appear under more than one).

Most cited work

1. Water desalination using nanocelluloses/cellulose derivatives based membranes for sustainable future (Desalination, 2021), cited 143 times.
2. Financial Inclusion and Its Ripple Effects on Socio-Economic Development: A Comprehensive Review (Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 2024), cited 130 times.
3. Financial inclusion: The role of fintech and digital financial services in India (Indian Journal of Economics and Business, 2019), cited 97 times.
4. Overcoming water, sanitation, and hygiene challenges in critical regions of the global community (Water-Energy Nexus, 2024), cited 86 times.
5. Digital Financial Literacy and Its Impact on Financial Decision-Making of Women: Evidence from India (Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 2024), cited 75 times.

The full list of 77 publications since 2008, with links, is on the poverty research publications page (also available as a spreadsheet).

Research spotlights

• Cancer screening women can afford. Reema Rawat and Prof Ashish Mathur developed a low-cost, portable cervical cancer screening device, funded by the Department of Science and Technology, so that women in remote areas without advanced hospitals can be tested. Source: UPES R&D Newsletter, January–June 2025.

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• Cheap fuel from city waste. With a ₹97.4 lakh ANRF grant, Dr Siddharth Jain's team is developing technology that turns municipal solid waste into methanol at ₹25–30 a litre, supporting the Swachh Bharat Mission and the National Methanol Policy. Source: UPES R&D Newsletter, July–December 2025, p. 8.

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• Helping small businesses survive the green transition. PhD scholar Shivansh Nautiyal, with Dr Sushil Kumar Rai, studied the barriers that stop India's micro, small and medium enterprises from adopting greener practices. The paper in Sustainable Development (2025) won a UPES PhD Spotlight Award. Source: UPES R&D Newsletter, July–December 2025, p. 13.

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• Nutrition and income from the hills. The Himalayan Institute for Learning and Leadership (HILL) promotes Bhanjira, a resilient Himalayan crop, to improve nutrition and raise farm incomes. Source: HILL projects (UPES blog), Himalayan Institute for Learning and Leadership.

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UPES also hosts the SWACHH Incubation Centre, funded by BIRAC, which supports health innovations from early-stage start-ups (see SWACHH Incubation Centre and BIRAC SPARSH).

SDG 1.2Making university affordable

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UPES treats affordability as part of admissions, alongside merit. Fee waivers at entry, a fully funded pathway for the most disadvantaged, emergency help for families in crisis, and help with government schemes mean that low household income alone need not stop a capable student from studying at UPES.

Some of this support is free and some is subsidised. Protsaahan scholars study, live in campus hostels and receive laptops and uniforms free of cost, every student can see a doctor and receive medicines free at the campus infirmaries, and fee waivers and concessions subsidise the cost of study for thousands more.

Help to get in

• Jyoti freeships. A 100% waiver of semester fees for meritorious students from families earning up to ₹8 lakh a year, with 51 places each year. Students pay only a refundable ₹20,000 security deposit, and the freeship is renewed for students who keep an SGPA or CGPA of at least 6.0. Source: UPES scholarships, Purpose: UPES social initiatives.

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• Uttarakhand domicile scholarship. A quarter of seats are reserved for residents of Uttarakhand, many from rural or low-income families, each with a 25% tuition scholarship every semester. Source: UPES scholarships.

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• Merit and Shakti scholarships. Entrance-exam scholarships of 20% to 100% of tuition went to the top 10% of candidates in 2022–23, with more than half of about 2,000 awarded to women. Since 2020, Shakti scholarships have supported more than 6,000 women students. Source: UPES merit scholarships, over half for women (Careers360), UPES Shakti scholarship for women (The Quint).

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• Project Abhilasha. Brings talented students from marginalised parts of Uttarakhand to campus for a month-long residential coaching camp for engineering entrance exams. Source: Project Abhilasha.

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• Project Naman. For the families of soldiers who died in service, UPES fully funds the school education of one martyr's child every year and gives education scholarships to the children of five martyrs from Uttarakhand each year. Source: Purpose: UPES social initiatives, UPES social impact, Project Naman.

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A full ride for the most disadvantaged

• Project Protsaahan. Since 2018, at least two meritorious students a year from the Purkal Youth Development Society have studied at UPES free of cost. Tuition, hostel, uniforms, a laptop and the security deposit are covered, with a stipend during internships. Twenty-two students have benefited so far. Source: Project Protsaahan, UPES Project Protsaahan supports underprivileged students (CSRMandate), UPES scholarship programmes for SDG 1 (PDF).

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Help to stay and finish

• We Care scholarship. During COVID-19, students who lost a parent to the virus received a 100% scholarship on the all-inclusive fee, and children of frontline workers received 20% off tuition. Source: UPES We Care scholarships (uLektz News).

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• When a family loses its earner. A student who loses an earning parent after admission receives a tuition relaxation of ₹50,000 a semester. Source: UPES scholarships, UPES scholarship programmes for SDG 1 (PDF).
• International students. Undergraduate international students receive scholarships of 15% to 30% of fees based on their Class 12 results, and MBA students with at least 75% in graduation receive 15%. Source: UPES scholarships.

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• Government scholarships. Eligible students from Uttarakhand can also apply for state schemes such as the post-matric scholarship for Scheduled Caste students. Source: Uttarakhand scholarship for Scheduled Caste students (Government of Uttarakhand).
• Remedial classes. Students who score below 40% in a mid-term examination get extra classes in that subject, which especially helps those from schools with fewer resources. Source: UPES Student Support, Capability enhancement and development schemes.

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• A mentor for every 25 students. First-year students are helped to settle into university, later years learn about careers, and final-year students are mentored by alumni and industry professionals. Source: UPES mentoring programme (UPES blog), UPES Student Support.

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• Health care and counselling. Consultations and medicines are free at the campus infirmaries, each with a 24×7 ambulance, medical insurance cover is available, and a full-time counsellor offers group and one-to-one sessions. Source: UPES Health Facilities Report (PDF), UPES Student Support.

  

  

• Ready for work. Career Services' EDGE programme offers personality profiling, competency mapping and aptitude tests, Employability Boot Camps bring in industry experts and alumni, a three-day Personality Enhancement Programme is run with Dale Carnegie, and Placement Selection Improvement gives interview practice with feedback. Source: Capability enhancement and development schemes.

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• Well-being and an equal footing. Yoga and meditation classes support physical and mental well-being, and a smart-casual dress code reduces visible differences in wealth between students. Source: Capability enhancement and development schemes, UPES Student Support.

SDG 1.3Start-ups and livelihoods

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UPES runs a full support system for people in and around Dehradun who want to turn a sustainable idea into a business: incubators, grants and investment, mentoring, training and community programmes that reach well beyond its own students.

Incubators open to the community

• Runway Incubator. Launched in 2021, Runway offers mentoring, grants, legal and incorporation support and workspace through an 8–10 week blended incubation programme. It is recognised by the Government of Uttarakhand as a nodal agency for Startup Uttarakhand, and has supported more than 250 start-ups. Source: Runway Incubator, UPES start-ups and innovation, Runway to success: Uttarakhand incubator (YourStory), UPES awards ₹3 crore in start-up funding (Greater Kashmir).

  See also: World IP Day webinar, Become a Community Problem Solver at GIC Paundha.

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• Inclusive Technology Business Incubator and Ignition Grants. UPES received a ₹5 crore grant under NIDHI i-TBI for an inclusive technology business incubator. Its Ignition Grant 2.0 gives early-stage innovators up to ₹10 lakh in non-dilutive funding with mentoring, and every strong venture in a Runway cohort can receive a ₹1 lakh Ignition Grant. Source: UPES Start-Up University, UPES DST-iTBI Ignition Grant 2.0, UPES start-ups and innovation.

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• UPES Council for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (UCIE). Open to the external business community as well as UPES students, alumni and staff, UCIE has worked with 32 incubatee organisations and is knowledge partner to JumpStart, Uttarakhand's first private co-working hub and incubator. Source: UPES Council for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
• SWACHH Incubation Centre and BIRAC SPARSH. The SWACHH Incubation Centre is funded by a BIRAC grant, and UPES channels a ₹4.02 crore BIRAC SPARSH grant to health-tech start-ups building affordable health care. Source: UPES start-ups and innovation, UPES Research, UPES awards ₹3 crore in start-up funding (Greater Kashmir), UPES Start-Up University.

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Funding and support for founders

• The Pitch. UPES's investor showcase awarded about ₹3 crore to start-ups from across India in July 2025, including Envinova Smartech, which works on sustainable solar solutions. The Pitch 3.0 in 2026 offers up to ₹25 lakh per start-up, and up to ₹50 lakh for exceptional AI-led ventures. Source: UPES awards ₹3 crore in start-up funding (Greater Kashmir), UPES fuels start-up dreams at The Pitch (GUS news), The Pitch 3.0 (India Education Diary).

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• Protecting ideas. As Uttarakhand's Technology and Innovation Support Centre since 2023, UPES helps local innovators protect their inventions. On 3 September 2025 it held a workshop with Startup Uttarakhand and UCOST on intellectual property for MSMEs and start-ups. Source: UPES R&D Newsletter, July–December 2025, pp. 10 and 19.

  See also: World IP Day webinar.

  

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• World IP Day webinar. Runway hosted a World IP Day webinar with a Government of India patent examiner on 28 April 2025. Source: UPES R&D Newsletter, January–June 2025, Event report: World IP Day webinar.

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• Government support schemes. In 2025 a senior official of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) visited UPES to explain schemes such as PRISM, which funds innovations by individuals, start-ups and MSMEs. Source: UPES R&D Newsletter, January–June 2025, Event report: Government support schemes.

  

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• Funds for founders from smaller towns. Runway channels ₹2 crore under MeitY's GENESIS scheme for start-ups in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, a ₹60 lakh pool under HDFC Bank's Parivartan programme for socially impactful start-ups, and ₹2.5 crore from the Atal Innovation Mission for community innovation in underserved regions. Source: UPES start-ups and innovation.

  See also: Government support schemes.

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Reaching the wider community

• Startup Weekend Dehradun. Runway is the licensed partner for Techstars Startup Weekend in Dehradun, a three-day event where participants form teams, build a business idea and pitch it. Source: Runway to success: Uttarakhand incubator (YourStory).
• Future Founders Challenge. A national entrepreneurship competition for students in Classes 9 to 12 across India, in teams of two or three, with no prior start-up experience needed. Source: Future Founders Challenge 2026, Future Founders Challenge 2025 (The Tribune).

  See also: Become a Community Problem Solver at GIC Paundha.

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• Become a Community Problem Solver at GIC Paundha. On 11 August 2026, Runway and the Social Outreach Department ran an entrepreneurship programme for 155 students in Classes 9 to 12 at Government Inter College, Paundha, Dehradun. Source: Event report: Become a Community Problem Solver at GIC Paundha.

  

• Bajaj Engineering Skills Training (BEST) Centre. A CSR initiative of Bajaj Auto with UPES that trains graduate and diploma engineers in mechatronics, robotics and automation, and Industry 4.0, with scholarships for students from economically weaker sections. Source: UPES BEST Centre, UPES R&D Newsletter, January–June 2025.

  

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• Women's livelihoods in the hills. The Himalayan Institute for Learning and Leadership (HILL) trains women in marketing locally grown products and builds skills for self-employment across the region. Source: Himalayan Institute for Learning and Leadership, HILL projects (UPES blog).

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Businesses that grew from UPES

• UGreen Technology. Founded by alumnus Gaurav Dwivedi, UGreen develops carbon capture technology; its OCOFix product completed a pilot with Oil India, described as the first carbon capture pilot in India's upstream oil and gas sector. Source: UGreen carbon capture pilot (SustainabilityNext).
• Envinova Smartech. A start-up working on sustainable solar solutions, funded at The Pitch in July 2025. Source: UPES awards ₹3 crore in start-up funding (Greater Kashmir), UPES fuels start-up dreams at The Pitch (GUS news).

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• Homversity. A Runway graduate that helps students find housing, reported in 2022 to be valued at more than ₹80 crore. Source: Runway to success: Uttarakhand incubator (YourStory).

SDG 1.4Access to basic services

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UPES organises training and outreach that bring health care, clean water and sanitation, energy, education and digital skills to villages and families around its campuses.

UPES delivers most of this work directly, through its own staff, students and clinics. It also supports services indirectly, by placing first-year students with NGOs that work in poor communities through the Srijan Social Internship.

Health

• Health care at the doorstep. Since 2008 a free medical mobile van run with Sewa Bharti has taken a doctor and medicines to nearby villages, and UPES holds free health camps in villages such as Misraspatti, Kharakhet and Dhaulas. Source: DSO Community Engagement & Social Impact Report (PDF).

  

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• Project Lakhon Khawahishen. Run with DivIn Pro, the project gives reusable menstrual cups, training and follow-up support to about 1,200 women from the university's ground staff and 13 nearby villages. Source: DSO Community Engagement & Social Impact Report (PDF), How UPES is building a better world through its CSR initiatives.

  

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• Nutrition and donation drives. UPES has assessed nutrition across three districts of Uttarakhand, and holds blood and eye donation camps; a three-day blood drive in April 2024 collected 1,303 units. Source: How UPES is contributing to the SDGs, DSO Community Engagement & Social Impact Report (PDF).

  

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Water, sanitation and energy

• Cleaner villages. Through Project Swachhata, students and staff keep neighbouring community areas clean as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission, and NSS volunteers take part in the national cleanliness campaign. Source: How UPES is contributing to the SDGs, UPES student engagement and NSS.

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• Watermills for hill incomes. Project UK is reviving and modernising small traditional watermills in Uttarakhand to raise rural incomes, and is building a network of experts to find sustainable solutions. Source: How UPES is contributing to the SDGs, UPES SDG report: watermills project (PDF).
• Off-grid power. UPES students designed a non-tracking solar tree with LED lights, USB ports and a socket for charging devices away from the grid. Source: How UPES is contributing to the SDGs.

Education

• Village schools. Under EDUDHURMA, which has reached over a hundred families, Projects Raftaar, Bodh and Vriddhi support nearby government schools. Since 2022 a smart class at Government High School, Upper Kandoli, run with the Lotus Petal Foundation, has built English literacy in Grade 9. Source: Purpose: UPES social initiatives, UPES social impact, DSO Community Engagement & Social Impact Report (PDF), UPES CSR reshaping lives of young students.

  

  

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• Project Payal. A UPES social impact project that supports the education of underprivileged, meritorious girls from neighbouring villages, so that they develop all round. Source: UPES social impact, Project Payal.

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• Srijan Social Internship. First-year students spend a mandatory six to eight weeks full time with social organisations, working on issues from poverty and hunger to health, education and women's empowerment. Source: Srijan Social Internship, UPES faculty highlight role of CRRCs (Garhwal Post).

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• LearnShala centres. Learning centres in government primary schools in Kandoli, Misraspatti, Donga and Phulsani, where student volunteers run activities and maths and science camps. Source: How UPES is building a better world through its CSR initiatives, UPES vision for community empowerment (TheCSRUniverse).
• Project Samvedna. Education, day care, mid-day meals and school uniforms for the children of migrant construction workers on UPES campuses. Source: UPES CSR reshaping lives of young students, UPES social impact.

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Digital skills and livelihoods

• DigitalDhaam. Computer and internet training for teachers, middle-school students, homemakers and others in villages near campus. Source: How UPES is building a better world through its CSR initiatives, UPES vision for community empowerment (TheCSRUniverse).
• UPES Skills Academy for support staff. The Skills Academy trains security, housekeeping and other support staff in computer skills and English communication, starting with a first batch of 20. Source: How UPES is building a better world through its CSR initiatives, UPES vision for community empowerment (TheCSRUniverse), DSO Community Engagement & Social Impact Report (PDF).
• Project Vikalp. Since 2015, the Rural Women Technology Park has helped women from nearby villages make recycled-paper products and ICT-assisted craft designs, grow medicinal and aromatic plants, and market what they make. Source: Project Vikalp.
• A second chance. In 2017 UPES trained inmates of Dehradun District Jail in computer hardware and networking, and provided ten laptops, to improve their job prospects after release. Source: DSO Community Engagement & Social Impact Report (PDF), How UPES is contributing to the SDGs.

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• Legal awareness. The Legal Aid Clinic of the School of Law and the CSR team held “Good Touch and Bad Touch” sessions for students of government schools in Kharakhet, Misraspatti, Kandoli and Harriawala, and a week-long POCSO workshop reached five government schools. Source: Good Touch, Bad Touch awareness, Legal Aid Clinic (LinkedIn), UPES CSR reshaping lives of young students, Legal Aid Clinic awareness camp (LinkedIn).

  

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SDG 1.5Shaping policy to end poverty

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UPES works at the local, regional, national and global levels, with village, state, national and United Nations partners, to design and deliver programmes that tackle poverty in its many forms, from poor schooling to lost livelihoods.

Regional: Uttarakhand

• Model villages. Through Project Utthan, UPES is working with the Government of Uttarakhand to develop Dhalani and Koti villages in Dehradun district as model smart villages for health care, education and livelihoods. Source: How UPES is contributing to the SDGs, Model smart village with the Government of Uttarakhand (EIISDG 2019), UPES social impact, Project Utthan.

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• Watermills for hill incomes. The watermills network shows planners a low-cost way to bring power and income to hill villages. Source: How UPES is contributing to the SDGs, UPES SDG report: watermills project (PDF).

National and global

• Post-COVID recovery. UPES is an implementer and knowledge partner in the Community Resilience Resource Centres programme of the Department of Science and Technology and UNDP India. In May 2023 the project's Principal Investigator, Prof Neelu Jyothi Ahuja, presented it at the UN Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation. Source: UPES faculty highlight role of CRRCs in post-COVID recovery (Garhwal Post).

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Local

• LearnShala centres. UPES is upgrading learning centres in government primary schools in villages including Kandoli, Misraspatti, Donga and Phulsani. Source: How UPES is building a better world through its CSR initiatives, UPES vision for community empowerment (TheCSRUniverse).
• Joy of Giving. During DaanUtsav each October, run with Goonj since 2022, students and staff collect and give clothes, books, stationery, toys and electronics to families in need near campus. Source: DSO Community Engagement & Social Impact Report (PDF), How UPES is building a better world through its CSR initiatives, UPES vision for community empowerment (TheCSRUniverse).

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All sources

Every website and document used in this report, and the sections it supports. Each initiative also has its own page, linked from its name in the report.