National | 21 September 2026: The University of Toronto India Foundation (UTIF) and Villgro Innovations Foundation have signed an MoU to launch TN‑CIRCLE (Tamil Nadu – Circular Innovation, Resource & Climate Leadership Ecosystem), an 18‑month programme supporting six waste and used‑water ventures.
The initiative will help these ventures transition from validated solutions and pilots towards adoption within municipal systems across Tamil Nadu, aiming to:
- Reduce or reuse 1,000 metric tonnes of waste.
- Save, treat, or reuse 15 million litres of water.
- Benefit 1 lakh+ people.
Launch Event:
TN‑CIRCLE was introduced at the “Urban Solutions Lab” held at IIT Madras Research Park, Chennai, bringing together stakeholders from Tamil Nadu’s urban innovation ecosystem.
The programme is built on the concept of a Collaborative Cluster for Urban Climate Solutions, connecting cities, ventures, researchers, industry, and civil society to exchange evidence, test assumptions, and align with municipal needs.
Focus Areas
The programme will begin in Chennai and Trichy, with potential expansion to other urban locations. Key focus areas include:
- Wastewater treatment and reuse.
- Municipal solid‑waste recovery.
- Technology‑enabled waste planning and collection.
- Reduction of water losses.
- Restoration of urban waterbodies and stormwater systems.
Policy Context
The initiative aligns with NITI Aayog’s 2026 report “Scenarios Towards Viksit Bharat and Net Zero – Sectoral Insights: Waste”, which highlights:
- The need to strengthen wastewater treatment, reuse, and resource recovery.
- The potential of treated wastewater reuse across agriculture, construction, and horticulture.
- The importance of reducing freshwater demand while improving resource efficiency.
Programme Process
Under TN‑CIRCLE:
- Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) will identify operational challenges.
- Ventures will be assessed against these requirements.
- Technical diligence, municipal matching, and on‑ground deployment will follow.
- Deployments will be monitored and documented to inform wider adoption.
Gauravi Lobo, Director, UTIF: “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.”
Rini Dutta, Chief Growth Officer, Villgro Innovations Foundation: “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.”
Strategic Impact
Through TN‑CIRCLE, UTIF and Villgro aim to:
- Demonstrate how validated waste and water solutions can move beyond isolated pilots.
- Embed innovations into everyday urban systems.
- Generate practical insights for replication across Tamil Nadu and potentially other municipal systems.
About TN‑CIRCLE
TN‑CIRCLE (Tamil Nadu – Circular Innovation, Resource & Climate Leadership Ecosystem) is an 18‑month joint programme by Villgro Innovations Foundation and University of Toronto India Foundation.
It supports the assessment and deployment of waste and used‑water innovations in municipal systems, beginning with Chennai and Trichy, and extending to other urban locations in Tamil Nadu.
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