'Live-In-Labs’, an International Program Launched by Amrita University – University of California

Amrita University of Kerala in collaboration with University of California have initiated an experiential learning program that encourages youths to understand about the problems, prevailing in the country's rural regions and villages. The mission is to recognize the problems of population living in villages that includes their health, sanitation, energy & source of power, water conservation and efficient use, waste management and environment.
The Amrita Centre for International Programs proposed its new 'Amrita Live-in-Labs'. The program seeks students of Amrita University along with students from some of the best international universities of the world to come together and live in Indian villages for a period of six months. This will be done to comprehend the rural India's problems. The programme also intends to identify projects to address the problems, develop solutions, put into practice, assess results, and ultimately reveal innovative solutions for betterment.
The concept behind the Amrita Live-in-Labs took birth in the beginning of 2013, when Mata Amritanandamayi (Spiritual Guru) proposed a means to make sure that at least one child from every family in rural areas for one year after their graduation, spoken in her speech while celebrating spiritual leader Swami Vivekananda’s 150th birthday.
She also advised government funds to help such programmes, saying the project would help stimulate concern in the youth in addition to upliftment of the poor. This will also result into a holistic development of this country.
Amrita University has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with University of California (UC) of San Diego, to enhance research and student exchanges.
This MoU will also make possible exchanges of faculty, undergraduate & graduate students, Ph.D scholars, combined research projects and publications, virtual laboratories, interactions of publications, resource and equipments, and information and special short-term programmes.