With the intention of forming up of smart cities in India, in joint venture with citizens, the University of California, Berkeley, has publicized the launch of a Smart City Co-Innovation lab to offer a stage to large, medium companies, new start-ups and the local government to revolutionize with citizens for generating justifiable smart-city solutions and last-mile business models.
An official release said, “The programme will invite young people between the ages of 18 and 29 and students. Artificial intelligence, water, energy, transportation, waste management, healthcare, climate and smart agriculture will be the areas of focus.” Set up in association with United States India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) and 1M1B (1 Million for 1 Billion), an India-based job creation initiative, the Smart City 4.0 proposes to develop skills for the fourth industrial revolution and quickens technologies from young innovators, start-ups and large corporations to generate the finest solutions for making cities smart, safe and sustainable.
Andre Marquis, Founder, Innovation Acceleration Group at UC Berkeley Executive Education says “We are trying to think differently. Our main focus is on customers, then on business mode and lastly on product development. There are many institutes which focus on building products but that goes last here,”.
The stage will offer an chance for young trendsetters to propose the best solution for making Indian cities smart. It has been decided that Allahabad will be the first city wherein the Smart City Co-Innovation lab is to set up.
“Since everything cannot focus around metro cities, we are looking at tier II cities as there is a need to develop talent in such areas. The aim is to teach them how to create solutions that have most impact on their cities,” said Manav Subodh, Director, International Development, Innovation Acceleration Group at UC Berkeley Executive Education. He also stressed, that the initiative was focusing on the ideas to co-create and co-innovate the technology which is made in India, for India and by the people of India.
Source: Business Line