The University of Toronto India Foundation (UTIF) and Villgro Innovations Foundation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to launch TN-CIRCLE (Tamil Nadu – Circular Innovation, Resource & Climate Leadership Ecosystem), an 18-month programme aimed at supporting the deployment of six waste and used-water innovations within municipal systems across Tamil Nadu.
The programme targets the transition of validated solutions and successful pilots into operational use by Urban Local Bodies. It aims to support the recycling, reuse or reduction of around 1,000 metric tonnes of waste, save, treat or reuse nearly 15 million litres of water, and benefit more than one lakh people.
TN-CIRCLE was introduced at the Urban Solutions Lab held at IIT Madras Research Park in Chennai. The event brought together stakeholders from Tamil Nadu’s urban innovation ecosystem, including cities, technology ventures, researchers, industry and civil society organisations.
The programme will initially focus on Chennai and Trichy, with the potential to expand to other urban locations in Tamil Nadu. Its areas of work will include wastewater treatment and reuse, municipal solid-waste recovery, technology-enabled waste planning and collection, reduction of water losses, and restoration of urban waterbodies and stormwater systems.
The initiative will follow a structured process beginning with Urban Local Bodies identifying specific operational challenges and requirements. Ventures will then be assessed against these requirements, followed by technical evaluation, due diligence, matching with municipal hosts and on-ground deployment. The programme will monitor the deployments and document lessons that can support wider adoption.
Gauravi Lobo, Director, UTIF, said, “Building companies is the easier half of this problem. The harder half is making sure there is a buyer with a budget line at the end of the pilot. That takes two to three years of staying in one place and deepening the same relationships rather than moving on. Chennai and Trichy are where we are making that commitment.”
UTIF will contribute to programme design, research, technical expertise, selection inputs, institutional relationships and knowledge exchange. Villgro will lead programme management and on-ground coordination, drawing on its experience of working with enterprises and Urban Local Bodies.
Rini Dutta, Chief Growth Officer, Villgro Innovations Foundation, said, “The hardest journey for an innovation is often not from idea to product, but from a successful pilot to sustained adoption within municipal systems. Villgro works with urban local bodies to close this gap, helping promising solutions become technically validated, operationally ready and aligned with real city needs. SAAF Cities TN CIRCLE is designed to move validated solutions beyond pilots and embed them within municipal corporations for lasting impact.”
The partners will work with cities, innovators, researchers, industry, investors and civil-society organisations to assess and adapt solutions to local requirements and municipal operating conditions. TN-CIRCLE is intended to generate practical lessons on the factors that support or limit the adoption of urban waste and water technologies, helping participating cities and ecosystem partners consider wider deployment across Tamil Nadu and other municipal systems.
