India Sweden Innovation Day 2021: Concrete roadmap for creating a circular economy
New Delhi, November 1 (IANS): The eighth annual India Sweden Innovation Day 2021 ended successfully. The virtual one-day event was organized in collaboration with the Indian Embassy in Sweden and Latvia, the Sweden-India Business Council (SIBC) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The seminar was a huge success as it was attended by over 1,300 participants from all over the world.
The highlight of the event was the implementation of the partnership between Vinnova, the Swedish Innovation Agency, the Indian Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Biotechnology.
The stakeholders of the two nations agreed to invite the call, which covers the important areas of the circular economy, such as health, social issues and societal challenges, which are crucial areas for creating a circular economy. The seminar also made a new call where key players gathered for Indian-Swedish cooperation. This joint call was aimed at Swedish and Indian actors to carry out joint research and innovation projects. By merging, the actors came in to support research and innovation projects throughout the value chain.
The keynote speakers at the inauguration were Tanmaya Lal, India’s Ambassador to Sweden, Darja Isaksson, Director General of Vinnova, Dr Jitendra Singh, India’s Minister of Science and Technology, Ibrahim Baylan, Swedish Minister for Business and Innovation, and Klas Molin, Sweden’s Ambassador to India. Other prominent speakers at the event mentioned the upcoming Indo-Swedish call in the circular economy – a funding opportunity that supports the transformation of a sustainable future.
The participating authorities on the Swedish side were Formas (the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development), Forte (the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare), the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Energy Agency and Vinnova (Swedish Innovation Agency). On the Indian side, the participating departments were the Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Biotechnology.
Darja Isaksson, CEO of Vinnova, stressed the importance of circular economy, said: “Our upcoming Indo-Swedish call, which is scheduled to open at the beginning of next year, will focus on circular economy. Circular economy is crucial for a sustainable society. Reuse, recycling and remanufacturing are needed for long-term use of materials and other resources.This reduces waste and limits surplus extraction of natural resources.Switching to the circular economy is a global challenge because value chains are global.A transition from linear to circular economy also means a shift from value chains to value cycles A complex process for society, requiring change in almost all sectors. Applications that contribute to sustainable development and projects where partners’ efforts complement each other to achieve a common goal will benefit from the evaluation process. “
The nations also agreed to fund the joint innovation projects in AI, Health, Clean Tech, Smart Cities and Safe Mobility. Several sustainable future projects will receive funding in the coming weeks.
Tanmaya Lal, India’s Ambassador to Sweden and Latvia, commented on strengthening ties between the two nations: “Accelerating an inclusive green transition is the key to our collective sustainable future. Collaborations for innovative solutions for clean technology, smart grids and the circular economy are the heart in the India – Sweden partnership. “
The virtual one-day event also recognized the importance of the various aspects of climate change and both nations took concrete steps to accelerate the process of green transition by implementing the use of advanced digital technology and artificial intelligence. In addition, both nations spoke for a very long time and came up with climate-friendly solutions using the power of technology. The summit also focused on enabling strong economic growth and combating the aftermath of the pandemic.
Martin Lundstedt, CEO of Volvo Group, said: “We must find a sustainable roadmap that is environmentally, socially, ethically and economically viable. In order not to undermine its applicability aspect to different parts of the world. In addition to transport, logistics and infrastructure, also plays a crucial We know that there is a close link between these parts of a developing society with its GDP, per capita and economic growth, but our goal is to develop sustainable solutions to development challenges, including increased transport and infrastructure logistics. , but the good news is the common agenda and focus that India and Sweden share as both nations work to drive sustainable innovation.
“Volvo is a proud partner, among others, to accelerate the green transition, bring clean energy technology solutions to the world. The time has come because we have the necessary resources, opportunities and innovative power. Volvo puts all of these together with the biggest views on R&D, IT and quality and the whole value chain. So in this area we are already doing a lot with India and looking forward to more. “
Amit Chadha, CEO, L&T Technology Services commented on making climate ambitions a reality, “We like equal conditions between citizens, authorities and companies from Corp 26. To make climate ambitions a reality what we need are concrete government policies to create common guidelines, citizens are more responsible towards the environment.
“As for the industry, we are working tirelessly to achieve the UN’s goals for sustainable development. We can start with good health and well-being to clean water and sanitation to affordable clean energy to industry innovation infrastructure to provide sustainable cities, responsible consumption and climate action. .
At LTTS, we have invested in battery charging infrastructure and technical laboratories in India and Illinois for on-board and onboard charging capabilities for people to do proof of concepts. We have launched our own hybrid vehicle by bringing together all battery and refrigeration technology. We have also built sensor labs that provides alternatives for lower energy consumption. We have launched energy management tools for both plants and commercial buildings and are working towards models for sustainable cities. “
The CII president, TV Narendran, said: “The economic climate journey will be expensive. The government, the industry and customers will have to pay for it to ensure that the transition takes place well. The heart of the Indo-Swedish partnership lies in innovation and technology and the good news is that there are steps towards innovation. We are now focusing on the ecosystem that can provide financing for it. There is a lot of capital in the world in the form of start-ups in Sweden.
“India is now home to the third largest number of unicorns in the world after China and the United States, our task now is to use that innovation to solve these problems to scale up the economy. There are some areas we need to work on in terms of storage solutions. for renewable energy.We need a smooth storage transition from coal base grid to renewable base grid and therefore we need a lot of money to ensure a sustainable storage system.We also need to build on hydrogen green infrastructure and scale it up too hope it makes the transition as smooth as possible. “
Ludwig Lindstorm, Sweden Business Developer, Swedish Energy Agency, said: “The main task ahead of us includes policy development and implementation, advice, statistics, financial support and research. We support many start-ups. Through clean climate innovations we have been able to bring down the Swedish greenhouse gas emissions significantly.
“Today, Sweden accounts for one tenth of greenhouse gas emissions. This has strengthened our confidence and we now plan to introduce a similar action plan in markets such as India. India-Sweden is primarily focused on implementing such sustainable strategies in India through business partnerships and exchanges. between state authorities. “
Robin Sukhia, President of Sweden-India Business Council and Secretary-General, added: “This 8th edition of India Sweden Innovation Day was truly a remarkable event in which both nations came together to accelerate the green transition. It both strengthens and builds trust between the two countries.
India Sweden Business Leaders’ Roundtable (ISBLRT) is an overall joint top management group that supports innovations and collaborations between India and Sweden. This year, the summit provided an opportunity to discuss the international situation and the response to the covid-19 pandemic, as well as regional and global issues of mutual importance, including climate action, sustainable development, gender equality and economic growth.