Partnership
Collaborative Foundation
POSEIDON was developed on the principle that innovation must be shared to sustain. From the early conceptual stage to outreach and testing, the project integrated support and feedback from institutional mentors, scientific peers, and local community representatives. The collaboration framework extends beyond research — encompassing knowledge-sharing, safety supervision, outreach coordination, and long-term deployment design.
Each collaboration strengthens POSEIDON’s balance between science and social application — connecting the lab with the landscape.
Partnerships span institutes, NGOs, and policy stakeholders ensuring contextual validation and local ownership.
Institutional Partnerships
Our primary partnership foundation lies within the IISER Berhampur ecosystem, which provided laboratory infrastructure, mentorship, and interdisciplinary expertise across departments of Biological Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Earth & Environmental Sciences, and Physical Sciences. Additionally, various internal clubs and outreach cells — including the Drama Club, Quiz Club and other Science Clubs — collaborated for awareness programs such as Independence Day campaigns and STREAM 2025. These institutional linkages ensured that both scientific innovation and social messaging progressed hand-in-hand.
External engagements enabled specialized guidance and benchmarking:
- Cross-institutional review — consultation with peers from other iGEM teams and universities for refining metal-binding peptide modeling.
- Expert sessions — interactions with environmental chemists and synthetic biologists to strengthen data reliability and biosafety validation.
- Resource sharing — model templates, data references, and peer-reviewed feedback for improved reproducibility.
NGO and Community Partnerships
At the community level, POSEIDON established partnerships with local NGOs and social organizations focusing on water access and environmental education. These collaborations supported survey execution, school-level demonstrations, and dissemination of trilingual educational materials in English, Hindi, and Odia. Such ties built the groundwork for equitable technology access and ethical deployment.
| Partner Organization | Primary Role | Activities Conducted | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Environmental NGO | Community liaison | Facilitated surveys and awareness sessions in villages | Improved engagement & translation of scientific terms |
| School Outreach Cell | Education & communication | STEM demonstrations and trilingual learning modules | Enhanced understanding among students |
| Health Awareness Forum | Health–environment linkage | Workshops on contaminated water effects & prevention | Community health awareness improved |
| Rural Innovation Network | Field support | Assisted in identifying households for pilot sampling | Ground-level deployment opportunities identified |
Government and Policy Interfaces
Engagement with district administration, water boards, and state health departments helped identify testing zones and contamination-affected regions for sampling. Preliminary discussions under CSR and rural health frameworks explored avenues to integrate POSEIDON filters within community schools and panchayat-level water schemes.
Engagement with district and state-level agencies accelerates approval for rural pilot deployment and CSR integration.
Government tie-ins ensure continuity through inclusion in long-term water and sanitation schemes.
Continuous Review and Mentorship
A strong mentorship and advisory structure under IISER faculty members ensured every aspect of POSEIDON—from lab biosafety to data dissemination—followed compliance with iGEM and institutional standards. This ongoing feedback process refined the scientific, ethical, and logistical aspects of implementation.
| Partner Organization | Primary Role | Activities Conducted | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Environmental NGO | Community liaison | Facilitated surveys and awareness sessions in villages | Improved engagement & translation of scientific terms |
| School Outreach Cell | Education & communication | STEM demonstrations and trilingual learning modules | Enhanced understanding among students |
| Health Awareness Forum | Health–environment linkage | Workshops on contaminated water effects & prevention | Community health awareness improved |
| Rural Innovation Network | Field support | Assisted in identifying households for pilot sampling | Ground-level deployment opportunities identified |
Looking Forward
Future partnership goals include formal MoUs with NGOs and academic bodies for pilot-scale testing, training of rural youth, and integration with regional sustainability programs. Such collaborations amplify the reach of POSEIDON beyond a single institution—transforming it into a national framework for bioengineered clean-water innovation. For larger inter-team engagements and data exchange initiatives, visit collaborations.