The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute

What The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute does

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute (the Mittal Institute) is a non-profit academic institute within Harvard University that functions as the university's premier center for regional studies, cross-disciplinary research, and programming on South Asia. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with an India office operated through the Harvard Global Research Support Centre India (New Delhi) and a Kathmandu-based program consultant, the Institute serves a community of Harvard faculty and students, international South Asia specialists, and regional leaders across nine South Asian countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka) and diaspora populations.

Its core offerings are organized around three pillars: (i) an arts program featuring the Visiting Artist Fellowship, Distinguished Artist Fellowship, South Asian Arts Fellowship, Performing Arts Program, and research initiatives including The State of Architecture in South Asia and Mapping Color in History; (ii) academic and research fellowship programs — India, Raghunathan, Bajaj, Syed Babar Ali, and Climate fellowships — plus a Graduate Student Associates program and an Associates program for researchers; and (iii) grant programs for Harvard faculty and students (language study, research, internships, Seed for Change competition). A major recent addition is the 2023 Climate Platform, which supports interdisciplinary climate adaptation research through projects such as Climateverse (an open-access climate and population health data-monitoring ecosystem), Community HATS (localized heat/humidity data collection), and a Climate Adaptation research cluster, in partnership with organizations including AIDMI, CRDF, NFI, BRAC, CDRI, SEWA, India Meteorological Department, and BRAC University. Programs are delivered at no cost to participants; the Institute has no commercial revenue stream and is funded primarily through a significant 2017 philanthropic gift from the Mittal family to Harvard University, with ongoing fundraising through named fellowships.

Name

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute

Legal name

THE LAKSHMI MITTAL AND FAMILY SOUTH ASIA INSTITUTE, HARVARD UNIVERSITY

Website

https://mittalsouthasiainstitute.harvard.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute is Harvard University's premier academic center for South Asian studies, delivering interdisciplinary research, fellowships, and grant programs to faculty, students, visiting scholars, and artists across nine South Asian countries and diaspora communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Research Institute

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHABAI

International & Global Research Universities (Multi-Campus/International Footprint)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Private Research Universities

SECONDARYEDAHABAA

Comprehensive Doctoral Research Universities (Multi-Disciplinary)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Private Research Universities

SECONDARYEDAIAOAJ

Research Grants, Fellowships & Stipends (International)

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/Scholarships, Funding & Financial Aid for International Study

Keywords

• Academic research institute
• Regional studies research
• Fellowship programs
• Higher education grants
• Interdisciplinary research

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Funding: The Institute is funded through a significant gift from the Mittal family (Lakshmi Mittal and family) made in 2017 to Harvard University. No commercial revenue streams.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute is Harvard University's premier center on regional studies, cross-disciplinary research, and innovative programming pertaining to South Asia. It facilitates scholarly exchanges among Harvard faculty and students, international South Asia specialists, and visiting academics through fellowships, faculty and student grants, lectures, conferences, and research initiatives spanning climate adaptation, arts, public health, and urban planning. All programs, fellowships, and events are free for participants and funded through philanthropic support.

Product overview

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute is an academic institute at Harvard University that connects Harvard and South Asia through interdisciplinary research, fellowships, and cultural programming. The institute operates as a platform offering multiple fellowship programs (Visiting Artist Fellowship, Distinguished Artist Fellowship, South Asian Arts Fellowship, India Fellowship, Raghunathan Fellowship, Bajaj Fellowship, Climate Fellowship, and Syed Babar Ali Fellowship), research initiatives (Climate Platform with Climateverse and Community HATS projects, arts research programs like The State of Architecture and Mapping Color in History), academic programs (Graduate Student Associates and Associates Programs), grant funding (Faculty Grants and Student Grants), and annual publications. The institute functions as a hub for scholarly exchange between Harvard faculty and South Asian specialists, supporting research across diverse disciplines including climate adaptation, arts, public health, and urban planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Visiting Artist Fellowship Fellowship offering four mid-career artists from across South Asia a two-month residency at Harvard, connecting them with faculty and students to research social, political, cultural, and economic issues through art.
• Distinguished Artist Fellowship Senior artist fellowship bringing accomplished artists from South Asia to Cambridge to enrich their artistic work through Harvard's intellectual and creative resources.
• South Asian Arts Fellowship (SAAF) Fellowship supporting artists, curators, or scholars living and working in North America whose work critically engages with the visual and material cultures of South Asia.
• Performing Arts Program Program exploring how South Asian performing arts such as music, dance, and theater evolve and remain resonant in a globalized world through experiential residencies and public engagement opportunities.
• Mittal Institute Climate Platform Major climate change initiative focused on South Asia, including research projects, training programs, and exchange fellowships for academics, scientists, and policymakers addressing climate adaptation.
• India Fellowship Fellowship supporting scholars conducting research on India, offered through the Mittal Institute's fellowship programs for postdoctoral researchers and visiting scholars.
• Raghunathan Fellowship Fellowship supporting researchers focused on South Asian studies, named after the Raghunathan family.
• Bajaj Fellowship Fellowship supporting visiting researchers and scholars studying South Asian topics, funded by the Bajaj family.
• Climate Fellowship Fellowship supporting researchers working on climate-related issues in South Asia, part of the Climate Platform initiative.
• Syed Babar Ali Fellowship Fellowship named after Pakistani entrepreneur Syed Babar Ali, supporting scholars from Pakistan and the wider South Asia region.
• Graduate Student Associates Program Program supporting graduate and Ph.D. students at Harvard conducting research on South Asia through monthly working groups, faculty presentations, and participation in the annual symposium.
• Mittal Institute Associates Program Program for researchers and faculty interested in South Asia providing Harvard ID with library privileges, event invitations, and opportunities to support Harvard student research.
• Climateverse Project developing a transformative, open-access climate and population health data-monitoring ecosystem in South Asia to drive data-driven responses to climate change.
• Community HATS (Heat Adaptation and Treatment Strategies) Research project collecting empirical and localized data on lived experiences of extreme temperatures and humidity in South Asia.
• Climate Adaptation in South Asia Interdisciplinary research project advancing climate adaptation at household, community, state, and federal levels in South Asia, particularly regarding climate-driven migration.
• The State of Architecture in South Asia Research initiative examining architectural practices and developments across South Asia.
• Mapping Color in History Research project exploring historical uses and significance of color in South Asian contexts.
• Faculty Grants Grant program supporting Harvard faculty engaged in South Asia-related research and teaching.
• Student Grants Grant program supporting Harvard students' engagement with South Asia through grants for student organizations and language study, research, and internships in-region.
• Seed for Change Competition Competition supporting student-led initiatives focused on South Asia-related innovation and change.
• Annual Publications Annual reports and publications including Year in Review and Arts Program Report documenting the institute's activities and research output.

Quantifiable outcome

• Established as premier center for South Asia studies at Harvard since 2013

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Institutional partner in the Mittal Institute Climate Platform, working on climate change mitigation and adaptation research in South Asia
• CEPT Research and Development Foundation (CRDF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Research partner for climate adaptation and urban development studies in South Asia through the Climate Platform
• National Foundation of India (NFI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partner for climate research and policy initiatives in India
• BRACcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Large NGO partner working on climate adaptation and disaster resilience in South Asia
• Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023International partnership focused on making infrastructure resilient to climate change and disasters
• Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partner for climate adaptation research focused on women's economic resilience
• India Meteorological DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Government partner for climate data and heat wave awareness collaboration
• Social AlphaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partner for climate innovation and technology solutions
• Sustainable Futures Collective (SFC)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partner for climate adaptation research and sustainability initiatives
• TrustBridge Rule of Law FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partner for climate policy and governance research
• BRAC UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Academic partner for climate research in Bangladesh
• Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPremier Pakistani management education institution; home of Babar Ali Fellowship and various scholar exchanges
• In-region Institutions and ExpertscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of regional institutions and experts across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Columbia University South Asia Institute: Columbia's interdisciplinary center for South Asia research and programming. Directly comparable as an Ivy League university-based center with faculty grants, fellowships, and convenings on South Asia.
• Harvard Asia Center: Harvard's sibling regional studies center covering broader Asia, with overlapping fellowship, grant, and convening infrastructure. Strongly comparable as a co-located peer under the same Harvard umbrella with similar funding model and programming cadence.
• University of Chicago Center for South Asian Studies: U.S. Department of Education-designated National Resource Center for South Asia at the University of Chicago. Direct academic peer operating in the same area studies niche with fellowships, language training, and outreach programming.
• UC Berkeley Institute for South Asia Studies: Berkeley's federally designated National Resource Center for South Asia. Direct peer in elite US public university area studies, with comparable fellowship, language, and convening infrastructure.
• Yale Council on South Asian Studies: Yale's center for South Asian studies offering fellowships, language programs, and lecture series. Direct academic peer - elite private US university, area studies mandate, fellowship-driven model covering the same region.
• Stanford Center for South Asia Studies: Stanford's dedicated center for interdisciplinary research, teaching, and programming on South Asia. Directly comparable to the Mittal Institute as a US Ivy/elite-university hub offering fellowships, grants, and events on the same region and academic population.

Emerging players

• Observer Research Foundation: India-based think tank focused on policy research with significant South Asia coverage and convening power. Comparable as a regional player producing interdisciplinary research, policy briefs, and convenings intersecting with the Mittal Institute's policy work.
• Centre for Policy Research (India): India's prominent policy think tank working on governance, climate, and development issues. Comparable through its climate and public policy research overlap with the Mittal Institute's Climate Platform work, though based primarily in India rather than at Harvard.

Broad incumbents

• SOAS University of London: UK-based university historically specializing in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East with strong South Asia programming. Comparable as an established incumbent in South Asian studies, though broader in geographic scope and a degree-granting institution rather than a research center.
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Global think tank with South Asia programs producing research and convenings on international affairs. Comparable as a broader-established incumbent in policy research and convening, though with global rather than region-exclusive focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mittalinstitute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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