SIMBA India Priority Workshop identifies EU-India research opportunities

Date: 16 November 2006

9-10 November 2006 event in New Delhi also names areas of collaboration.

The EC-supported, ERTICO-coordinated SIMBA project, which aims to strengthen international road transport research cooperation, held its India Priority Workshop 9-10 November at Shangri La, New Delhi. The Workshop was able to identify around 30 areas of potential EU-India collaboration and joint research activities in ITS, automotive and infrastructure.

Priority areas for cooperation
Priority areas identified for EU-India ITS cooperation were demonstrations in Electronic Toll Collection on the Indian highways and a potential TMC demonstration in India exploring low-cost methods of traffic data collection and broadcasting. Other potential areas of ITS collaboration that were discussed in detail included cooperative systems, environmental compatibility and collision avoidance.

Dr Ramesh Chandra Panda, Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, announced that India is to set up its first Centre of Excellence for “automotive infotronics”, the term coined in India for telematics. The potential Indian market for telematics is estimated to be worth some €1.2 billion according to a report commissioned by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

Dr Panda went on to outline the Ministry’s plans to bring ITS to India, and emphasised the importance to India of cooperating with partners in the developed world in the field of road transport.

Dr Luisa Prista and Mr Patrick Mercier-Handisyde of the European Commission’s DG Research spoke of the Workshop’s potential to help European and Indian stakeholders to prepare collaborative research priorities for the European Union’s 7th Framework Programme.

Ministerial participation
The Workshop was attended by approximately 100 participants, including an ERTICO-led delegation of 23 Europeans (from both Industry and Research).
The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), India National Coordinator for SIMBA project and Workshop host, invited a wide range of Indian ministries including Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Department Science and Technology, Ministry of Road Transport, Shipping and Highways, Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies.

Anyone interested in working with India in any above areas should contact ERTICO India Project Coordinator Priti Prajapati

For more information about the workshop and the SIMBA project cooperation, please visit the SIMBA website 

Dr Ramesh Chandra Panda, Secretary, Ministry Heavy Industries and Public Enterprise, India outlined the plans of the Ministry to bring ITS to India