Education for SDGs-Specific Courses Sustainability

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham’s Live-in-Labs® Courses Provide a Unique Platform for Students to Experience Rural Sustainability Challenges while Co-designing Community-centric Sustainable Solutions

Working at the grassroots level to promote rural sustainability is vital for advancing sustainable development within communities, while also preserving and leveraging indigenous knowledge and local strengths. In this spirit, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has launched a transformative experiential learning initiative, the Live-in-Labs® program, offered through the Amrita School for Sustainable Futures. This innovative multidisciplinary program is structured into four hands-on courses that guide students in applying sustainable development principles within rural settings to achieve tangible societal outcomes. The courses are provided for bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD students. 

The Live-in-Labs® courses equip students to work directly with rural communities, identifying local challenges, and co-designing and implementing solutions tailored to the community’s specific needs. Each course focuses on a key phase of community engagement:

• Live-in-Labs® I emphasizes identifying community challenges and sustainability needs. 
• Live-in-Labs® II explores rural policies, schemes, and participatory research methods. 
• Live-in-Labs® III involves developing sustainable models and co-designing interventions. 
• Live-in-Labs® IV focuses on delivering societal impact by deploying solutions within communities. 

In addition to classroom-based learning, students engage in immersive fieldwork. They travel to Amrita’s adopted villages across India, where they work directly with local communities, experiencing rural life firsthand. This hands-on engagement allows students to understand community challenges deeply, collaboratively design sustainable solutions, and implement models that foster long-term positive change.

During the current academic year, over 450 undergraduate students (from engineering, social sciences, business, biotechnology, and medical disciplines), 50+ master’s students, and 40+ PhD students from Amrita’s seven campuses are participating in Live-in-Labs®. This initiative has produced numerous community-focused solutions that significantly contribute to the communities’ progress toward localized Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets. Through Live-in-Labs®, Amrita continues to empower students to become leaders in sustainable development, equipped with the knowledge, skills, and experience to drive meaningful societal impact.