Indo-German Symposium on Smart Cities

In an endeavour to promote Indo-German Research partnership, the Indo-German Science & Technology Centre (IGSTC) is organising a symposium on “Smart Cities” in association with FICCI (India), Nexus Institute (Germany) and PTV AG (Germany).

Germany | 27. – 29.04.2016 Berlin

“Smart Cities – how can the scientific community in India and Germany learn from each other?”

Cities of the future have to be CO2-neutral, energy efficient and well adopted to climate change in order to ensure a high quality of life. The challenge of transition affects major cities worldwide, including Europe but particularly megacities in countries like India. Research and Development is needed in various aspects to accompany and facilitate this process. This includes among other things a highly networked infrastructure based on IT solutions, new forms of mobility and an efficient use of energy. However the transition will only be possible if it is supported by the right governance structures and if solutions are accepted by the general public.

The Governments of India and of Germany have identified urban development as a key political issue for the future. Both have published concept notes: “Draft Concept Note on Smart City Scheme” (India) and “Zukunftsstadt: Strategische Forschungs- und Innovationsagenda” (Germany), which match within several agenda items. The German agenda refers to the special relevance of international experience and to utilize, exploit and connect German expertise and research results with foreign countries. It is therefore in the interest of both countries to join forces and build new networks to merge research efforts in both countries. To fill this gap and carry forward the agenda, IGSTC is now organizing the “Smart City” Symposium.

Format

Introductory talks will set the scene, whereas the symposium later on will focus on governance and integrative planning approaches. In the interactive part there will be working sessions at five “thematic roundtables”:

  1. Energy and Buildings
  2. Mobility and Management
  3. Waste Management and Sanitation
  4. Water
  5. Communication – Safety – Security

Each theme-table is headed by a moderator discussing 2-3 concrete questions with a group of participants. The participants will rotate between the tables to ensure a broad input and to foster fertilization of ideas.

Cross-cutting questions for the discussions are:

  • How do infrastructure and services need to be built and managed to cater the needs of the citizens of tomorrow?
  • What is the role of governance and public participation in the process of planning, implementation and management of the Smart City?

Aim of the symposium

The principle aim of the symposium is to identify areas where cooperation between German and Indian researchers is most relevant. Furthermore the symposium will give the opportunity to identify new partners for collaborative research projects and to identify project ideas. After the symposium IGSTC may publish a call for research proposals.

About IGSTC

Indo-German Science & Technology Centre (IGSTC) was established by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Germany to facilitate Indo-German R&D networking through substantive interactions among government, academia/research system and industry to foster innovation and application for the overall economic and societal developments of both the countries. The Centre envisions to:

  • advance industrial research partnership with mutuality of interest and respect
  • create a platform for cross fertilisation of ideas
  • develop knowledge networks for industrial sectors to enhance competitiveness
  • establish joint knowledge pools to address global challenges and
  • serve as a Nerve Centre to promote Indo-German technology partnership

For further information, interested persons may contact

INDIA

Dr. P.V. Lalitha
Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC)
Ph: + 91 124 492 9407
Email: lalitha@igstc.org

Ms. Udita Dasgupta (especially industry applicants)
Urban Infratsructure & Smart City Division
Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Phone: 91-11-23487272/ 23487362
E: udita.dasgupta@ficci.com

GERMANY

Dr. Martin Goller / Sara Sabzian
DLR Project Management Agency / IGSTC German Office
German Aerospace Centre
Ph: + 49 228 3821 1407 / 1420
Email: martin.goller@dlr.de /
sara.sabzian@dlr.de