In a kick-off event, Bosch India Limited and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH launched a flagship project on Green Urban Mobility Innovation aimed at improving the framework conditions in selected Indian cities for sustainable, inclusive and smart mobility solutions. The initiative is under the aegis of the Green Urban Mobility Partnership (GUMP) between the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) of the Government of India and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It is supported by BMZ’s funding programme called develoPPP, a facility aimed at supporting companies’ sustainability initiatives in developing and emerging countries. The challenges Indian cities are facing because of rapid urbanisation and the changing mobility patterns that contribute to congestion and consequently increased carbon emissions and climate change form the background of the initiative.

The collaboration between Bosch and GIZ seeks to enhance the green urban mobility and transportation system in India by creating an industry-led, pre-competitive multi-stakeholder platform for innovation, collaboration and prototyping, bringing public and private stakeholders together under the roof of a ‘Living Lab’ (LL). It would serve as a real-life testing environment for green urban mobility innovations set-up in Bengaluru. By providing an open innovation ecosystem around green urban mobility for public and private stakeholders, it is envisioned to contribute to an improved innovation enabling environment and framework conditions for Green Urban Mobility Innovation that has benefits for all citizens, including the vulnerable and poor groups of society. One special characteristic of the Living Lab is that it would enable the co-creation of innovations with all the stakeholders including citizens.

Mr. Achim Burkart, Consul General, Consulate of Germany, Bengaluru, encouraged the Living Lab to work on measures that would lead to lesser congestion, pollution and mobility solutions that would be environmentally friendly.

Mr. Dirk Steffes enn, Deputy Head of Economic Cooperation and Development Division, German Embassy, New Delhi highlighted the project’s potential to cater to the fulfilment of sustainable development goals enshrined in the charter of the UN.

Ms. Manjula V, Commissioner, Directorate of Urban and Land Transport, Government of Karnataka encouraged the collaboration of the LL project with the Center for Research and Innovation at DULT. She urged the project to focus on regulatory framework, guidelines, capacity building across various relevant stakeholders.

For more information please contact Mr. Jürgen Baumann, juergen.baumann(at)giz.de.