The following is a list of indicative focus areas at present, for each of the Centres of Excellence.
1. Centre for Urban Governance
- Structure of Municipal Governance
- Human Resource Management in Municipalities
- Democratic Decentralization – Strengthening of Municipal Mayor/Council Systems
- Capacity Building for Good Urban Governance
2. Centre for Urban Infrastructure and Finance
- Management of Urban Infrastructure and Civic Services
- Urban Infrastructure Financing
- Municipal Finance Database
- Municipal Finance Reforms
- Urban Land as a Resource
- Municipal Budgeting, Accounting and Auditing Reforms
- Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in Urban Infrastructure and Services
3. Centre for Regional & Transportation Planning
- Restructuring of Urban and Town Planning Laws
- Transportation-Land Use Integration
- Transit-Oriented Development
- Alternative Models of Land Assembly
- Transportation System Management
- City Development Planning and Financing
4. Centre for Housing & Urban Poverty and Urban Poverty Alleviation
- Urban Poverty Alleviation
- Slum-free City Agenda
- Affordable Housing to the Urban Poor
- Skills Training of the Urban Poor
- Micro-enterprise Development interventions
5. Centre for Municipal e-Governance
- NeGP: e-Municipality
- Municipal Human Resource Management Information System
- Municipal Financial Management Information System
- Municipal Grievances Management Information System
- Municipal Land Information System
- Municipal Performance Management System
- Municipal Slum Information System
- Municipal Asset Inventory and Record Registry Information System
6. Centre for Urban Disaster Management
- Urban Disaster Risk Reduction
- Standard Operating Procedures for Disaster Management