•IIHMR University and UNICEF launch Centre for Behavioral Sciences at University Campus in Jaipur

•Centre for Behavioral Sciences will work in collaboration with Central Government, NGOs and development partners

•Centre will contribute towards enhancing the effectiveness of public programmes

Jaipur, IIHMR University, a pioneer in research related to health management, in collaboration with UNICEF, has achieved a significant milestone by launching the 'Centre for Behavioral Sciences (CBS)' on its campus. Through this centre, IIHMR University will work towards making large-scale public programmes more effective through evidence and rights-holder-centric solutions. At the inauguration ceremony of the Centre for Behavioral Sciences, Dr. P.R. Sodani, President, IIHMR University welcomed all the participants and said, “By launching the Centre for Behavioral Sciences, IIHMR University has achieved a significant milestone in promoting authentic and evidence-based research for policy planning and programme management. It will work closely with the Centre, NGOs and development partners and thus take important steps towards improving health outcomes in the state.''

Mr. Rishabh Hemani, Chief, UNICEF Rajasthan said, ''We believe that this important partnership with IIHMR University will provide a new vision for a better future. We believe that behavioural science actually provides a deeper vision in terms of human behaviour, which helps us to continuously develop more effective strategies to deal with social issues.'' On

this occasion, the logo of the Centre for Behavioural Sciences was also unveiled. Dr. P.R. Sodani, President, IIHMR University, Dr. S.S. Ranawat, Director (RCH), Government of Rajasthan, Mr. Dennis Larson, Chief SBC, UNICEF Officer, Ms. Sylvie Chamois, Chief Nutrition, UNICEF and Mr. Rishabh Hemani, Chief, UNICEF Rajasthan jointly released the logo.

Under the aegis of this Centre, IIHMR University and UNICEF will jointly contribute towards improved policy formulation, programme planning and implementation to enable impactful change. By curating and providing effective collaboration to a network of researchers, academics, policy drafters and practitioners, the Centre aims to generate meaningful knowledge. Another key objective is to lead, integrate and disseminate cutting-edge social research inspired by behavioural science and insights to improve lives.

Mr. Dennis Larsen, Chief SBC, UNICEF, emphasized the significance of this collaboration and said, “The Centre, established to better understand people’s behaviour, is a significant contribution towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is a remarkable achievement in these terms.