S&IN in Indore

The UK Science & Innovation Network (S&IN), India partnered with the UK Trade & Investment to invite Prof. Peter Lindstedt from the Imperial College London to the GREAT Britain campaign in Indore (Madhya Pradesh) during January 15-16, 2014. Prof. Lindstedt is the Consul for the Faculty of Engineering & Business School, and Professor of thermofluids in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

A half-day event on January 15 was organised at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, which began with an address by Prof. Pradeep Mathur, Director of IIT Indore, followed by Kumar Iyer, British Deputy High Commissioner in Mumbai and the Director General of UK Trade and Investment. Prof. Lindstedt then delivered a public lecture on the challenges in sustainable propulsion to the students, faculty, and staff at IIT Indore.

After an invigorating Q&A session, a discussion followed with the faculty at IIT Indore, which covered topics pertaining to the ongoing projects at the institution, and potential for joint research collaborations with UK universities. Later, students from IIT Indore heard about the slew of educational opportunities available in the UK from representatives of seven UK universities: London School of Training, Teesside University, Birmingham City University, Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Birmingham, Sheffield Hallam University, and De Montfort University.

In the afternoon, an automotive symposium was held at the Radisson Blu hotel, involving participation from companies such as MIRA-Caepro, and Delcam. Prof. Lindstedt delivered a talk on the automotive capabilities in the UK – fuel economy and light weighting. The day ended with a networking reception and dinner on the magnificent lawns of the Daly College, founded by Sir Henry Daly in the late 19th century. Watch out for this space for an interview with Prof. Lindstedt on his thoughts about forging research collaborations with Indian organisations!

The UK’s strategy for growth and sustainability in the automotive sector underscores the significance of creating and commercialising novel automotive technologies in the UK. In this regard, the UK government and industry will invest around $1 billion over 10 years to set up an advanced propulsion centre (APC). This centre will be expected to create innovate technologies for the market and subsequently, generate thousands of jobs. The strategy also talks about improving access to finance for the industry players, imparting the relevant skills and training to prepare individuals for jobs in the automotive industry, and creating a business environment to sustain the competitiveness of the industry.

In line with the automotive theme is the Transport Systems Catapult centre in Milton Keynes, which supports the UK industry in creating new products and services for the efficient movement of people and goods. One of the several ongoing projects at the centre is the Low Carbon Urban Transport Zone (LUTZ), which is a large programme demonstrating the potential of autonomous vehicles, cloud-enabled mobility, and transport on-demand services. You can subscribe to the centre’s newsletter to keep abreast of the latest developments. If interested, you can also collaborate with the centre in several ways!