As of September 2024, the partnership between South Asian University and the Heritage as Placemaking project has been discontinued with the departure of research team Sasanka Perera (principal investigator) and Pooja Kalita (research fellow) from the South Asian University. Dr. Perera and Dr. Kalita continue their research for HaP and remain affiliated with the project.

South Asian University (SAU) is in New Delhi, India. An international university, SAU takes knowledge without borders as its directive and responsibility: established by the eight member nations of South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC)—Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka—the university offers post-graduate education that is recognized by each of the SAARC countries. SAU offers post-graduate and doctoral programmes in various disciplines, including sociology, economics, computer science, international relations, biotechnology, mathematics, and law, with plans to expand to an undergraduate program and to develop eleven post-graduate departments in total.