Strengthening India’s Internet Research Ecosystem Through Academia–Industry Collaboration
The India Internet Foundation (IIFON) proudly announces the inauguration of the Advanced Research Laboratory on Internet Research Network at Chandigarh University, established in collaboration with the AIORI Project and the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI).
This milestone represents more than the launch of a laboratory. It reflects a strategic step toward strengthening India’s Internet research backbone through a structured academia–industry–standards partnership model. In an era where the Internet forms the foundation of digital governance, economic growth, and national resilience, building indigenous research and operational capability is both timely and essential.
A Strategic Platform for Internet Research
The newly inaugurated laboratory has been designed as a hands-on research and experimentation hub focused on advancing India’s expertise in:
- Internet operations and critical infrastructure
- DNS ecosystem research and resilience mechanisms
- Protocol experimentation aligned with global standards
- Internet measurement and performance analysis
- Next-generation networking technologies
By creating a structured environment for applied research, the laboratory ensures that students and researchers engage directly with real-world Internet infrastructure challenges, fostering practical competence alongside academic rigor.
Alignment with Global Internet Ecosystems
The laboratory’s research vision aligns with global Internet standards and governance ecosystems, including:
- IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force)
- ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers)
- Regional Internet Registries (RIRs)
This alignment ensures that research outcomes contribute meaningfully to international technical discussions and standards development processes, strengthening India’s voice in global Internet engineering forums.
Strengthening Indigenous Measurement & Resilience
A core objective of this collaboration is to enhance India’s indigenous Internet measurement and resilience capabilities. Robust measurement frameworks are fundamental to understanding network behavior, DNS stability, routing efficiency, and infrastructure reliability.
Through AIORI-aligned experimentation and structured research programs, the laboratory will:
- Generate data-driven insights into Internet performance
- Strengthen national resilience initiatives
- Build capacity in critical Internet technologies
- Develop a pipeline of researchers contributing to global standards
Leadership & Institutional Support
- IIFON extends its sincere appreciation to the Chandigarh University leadership for their vision and commitment:
- Dr. Raviraja N Seetharam, Vice Chancellor
- Raghuveer VR, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs)
- Dr. Satbir S Sehgal, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Operations)
- Dr. Sachin Ahuja, Executive Director (UIE)
We also acknowledge the leadership and contributions of Dr. John Jose (IITG) and Dr. Venkatesh Tamarapalli (IITG), along with the faculty members and organizing team whose efforts made this initiative possible.
Representing IIFON at the inauguration, Mr. Anand Raje, CTO and Co-Founder of IIFON, was present to reaffirm the Foundation’s commitment to advancing Internet research, measurement, and standards engagement in India.
Our sincere appreciation also goes to Ruchika Gupta and Navneet Sehgal for their valuable inputs, and to Dr. Navpreet Kaur Walia, Dr. Vikas Wasson, Dr. Puneet Kumar, Tripti Sharma, and Dr. Jasneet Kaur for gracing the occasion with their presence.
A Shared Vision for India’s Internet Future
This collaboration reflects a broader national vision: strengthening India’s Internet engineering capabilities through sustained partnerships between academia, industry, and standards communities.
By fostering applied research, enabling standards participation, and building measurement-driven infrastructure insight, the Advanced Research Laboratory stands as a catalyst for long-term impact.
India’s digital future depends not only on adopting global technologies, but on contributing to their architecture and evolution. Through this initiative, IIFON reaffirms its commitment to building capacity, capability, and meaningful global contributions from India in Internet engineering and operations.
Together, we are shaping a resilient and research-driven Internet ecosystem for the nation.
