Indian Institute for Human Settlements

What Indian Institute for Human Settlements does

The Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) is a private, deemed-to-be-university based in Bengaluru, India, founded in 2009, that operates as an interdisciplinary knowledge institution focused on transforming India's cities, towns, and villages. IIHS organises its activities across five Schools (Governance, Economic Development, Human Development, Systems & Infrastructure, and Environment & Sustainability) and five functional areas: academics, practice, research, capacity development, and digital blended learning. Core offerings include the Urban Fellows Programme, Master's, Doctoral, and Postdoctoral programmes, a Knowledge Gateway publication platform, specialised Research Labs (Geospatial, Sustainable Energy), and a Library service that hosts quarterly public exhibitions.

The underlying platform architecture couples on-campus academic delivery with a digital blended learning stack distributed globally through Coursera and edX partnerships, alongside open courses on the IIHS digital platform. The research engine is anchored in international consortia — PEAK Urban, Urban KNOW, ASSAR, and ReSET — that produce applied outputs on climate adaptation, energy equity, and urban governance.

Revenue is derived from four streams: tuition and fees from degree programmes, restricted and unrestricted research grants, capacity development training for government and practitioners, and revenue from digital courses. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and revenue is not reported. Headcount sits in the 51–100 range and primary customer segments are graduate students and researchers, urban practitioners and development professionals, and government and municipal policymakers in India, with a secondary global learner base reached through MOOC partnerships.

Name

Indian Institute for Human Settlements

Legal name

Indian Institute for Human Settlements

Website

https://iihs.co.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) is a Bengaluru-based deemed university, founded in 2009, that delivers interdisciplinary urban-studies education, applied research, and capacity development for graduate students, urban practitioners, and government policymakers in India, with global reach via Coursera and edX courses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bangalore

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Academic Programs and Degrees: Master's level programmes, Doctoral programme, and Postdoctoral Programme delivering interdisciplinary education on urbanisation, cities, towns, and villages
2. Research Grants and Projects: Funding from domestic and international research partnerships including PEAK Urban, Urban KNOW, ASSAR, and ReSET for applied research on urban challenges
3. Capacity Development and Training: Open courses, workshops, and professional development programmes on topics including climate change, water, sanitation, planning, and urban governance
4. Digital Blended Learning: Online and blended learning courses delivered through platforms including Coursera and institutional partnerships with global universities

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) is a deemed university and interdisciplinary knowledge institution offering academic programmes (Master's, Doctoral, Postdoctoral, and Urban Fellows), applied research on urbanisation, capacity development training for practitioners and policymakers, and digital blended learning courses delivered via Coursera and edX. The institution operates across five integrated areas—academics, practice, research, capacity development, and digital blended learning—organised through five Schools covering governance, economic development, human development, systems and infrastructure, and environment and sustainability.

Product overview

The Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) is an interdisciplinary knowledge institution focused on urban and regional development. IIHS operates as a platform-plus-services model offering academic programmes (Urban Fellows Programme, doctoral and master's degrees), digital blended learning courses through Coursera and edX partnerships, research labs and publications through the Knowledge Gateway, library services with quarterly exhibitions, and capacity development programmes. The institution brings together five areas: academics, practice, research, capacity development, and digital blended learning, organized across five Schools: Governance, Economic Development, Human Development, Systems & Infrastructure, and Environment & Sustainability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Urban Fellows Programme A postgraduate fellowship programme focused on urban studies and human settlements, preparing professionals for careers in urban policy, planning, and governance.
• Digital Blended Learning Courses Online and blended learning programmes delivered through partnerships with Coursera and edX, offering self-paced courses on urban studies, sustainability, housing, economic policy, and education.
• Knowledge Gateway Digital repository and publishing platform hosting IIHS publications including papers, articles, books, reports, policy briefs, maps, and data related to urbanization, sustainability, and human settlements.
• Library Services Physical and digital library providing access to books, journals, databases, audio-visual resources, and hosting quarterly exhibitions on urban themes such as sustainability, caste discrimination, climate change, and architecture.
• Capacity Development Programme Professional development and training initiatives including workshops, open courses, and capacity-building resources for urban practitioners, policymakers, and researchers on themes such as climate change, water, sanitation, planning, and urban governance.
• Research Labs Specialized research facilities including Geospatial Lab, Sustainable Energy Lab, and other thematic labs conducting interdisciplinary research on urban challenges.
• Capacity Development Forum (CDF) Annual forum exploring how capacity development can strengthen systems for complex, technology-enabled, and partnership-driven public service delivery, targeting public service professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivers four Master's level programmes and a Doctoral programme, with expansion planned to five Masters' programmes and an undergraduate programme
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered global, core and regional.

• Coursera Global University ConsortiumglobalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2022Collaborative effort of five global institutions including IIHS launching Shaping Urban Futures course on Coursera. Addresses pressing challenges of 21st century urbanisation through multidisciplinary approach.
• PEAK UrbancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research partnership focused on building next generation of scholar-practitioners and researchers in urban studies. IIHS contributes interdisciplinary research and expertise on urbanisation challenges across Global South cities.
• Urban KNOWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership contributing to knowledge production and dissemination on urban development challenges, with IIHS providing interdisciplinary expertise and research capabilities.
• ASSAR (Assessing the Potential for Adaptive Transformation in the Semi-Arid Regions)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership focused on climate adaptation and transformation in semi-arid regions. IIHS contributes research on urbanisation, livelihoods, and adaptation challenges in Indian context.
• ReSET (Reconfiguring Energy for Social Equity)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch initiative examining energy systems and social equity. IIHS contributes interdisciplinary research on energy governance, infrastructure, and equitable access to sustainable energy.
• Bengaluru Sustainability ForumregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-institutional initiative focusing on urban and peri-urban sustainability issues in Bengaluru. Collaborates on interdisciplinary conversations and collaborations involving academics, researchers, practitioners, social advocates, and citizens.
• AEEE (Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Net-Zero Building Fundamentals course development and delivery. Joint initiative providing online course on energy performance, passive design, thermal comfort, and sustainable building practices.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• O.P. Jindal Global University: Jindal Global University is a multi-disciplinary private Indian university with schools of public policy, liberal arts, and sustainability. It is comparable in mission, scale, and interdisciplinary model to IIHS and competes for similar graduate student and research talent pools.
• CEPT University: CEPT University (Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology) in Ahmedabad offers architecture, planning, and urban studies programmes at undergraduate and graduate levels. It is the most direct domestic peer to IIHS, with overlapping focus on urban development education and applied research in India.
• Azim Premji University: A Bengaluru-based private university focused on education, development studies, and public policy with a strong social science orientation. It is a direct peer in the Indian interdisciplinary higher education space and is similarly mission-driven and not-for-profit in character.
• Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS): TISS is a premier Indian deemed university with a strong interdisciplinary social science orientation, including urban studies, public health, and development practice. It shares IIHS's model of combining graduate education, research, and field practice for development sector professionals.
• National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA): NIUA is India's apex body for urban research, capacity building, and policy advisory to central and state governments. It directly overlaps with IIHS's practice, research, and capacity development pillars focused on Indian urbanization.

Broad incumbents

• LSE Cities (London School of Economics): LSE Cities is a major international urban research and education centre at the London School of Economics. It is comparable to IIHS as a global leader in urban studies research and education, but operates at significantly greater scale, brand, and funding depth as part of a top global university.
• UCL Bartlett School of Planning: UCL's Bartlett School of Planning is one of the world's most established urban planning and development research and education groups. Comparable to IIHS for urban studies research output and graduate education, but with substantially larger resources, faculty, and global reach.
• MIT Urban Risk Lab: MIT Urban Risk Lab conducts interdisciplinary research on urban risks and resilience, with strong Global South focus. It overlaps with IIHS's applied research and capacity development work on urban challenges, but is anchored within a top-tier U.S. research university with far greater resources.

Emerging players

• African Centre for Cities (University of Cape Town): ACC is a leading interdisciplinary research and policy centre on urbanization in the Global South, based at the University of Cape Town. It is comparable to IIHS for its Global South focus, research-practice integration, and engagement with policy and capacity development.
• Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD): SUTD is a research-intensive university in Singapore with design and urban systems programmes. It is comparable to IIHS for its interdisciplinary, design-and-systems approach to urban education and research, and competes in the international urban studies talent and research market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iihsin
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/iihschannel
• Facebookfacebook.com/iihsin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/indian-institute-for-human-settlements

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Indian Institute for Human Settlements