Industry and academe are key players in the transition to a sustainable society, says Unnikrishnan
With the intent to support and advance research in the areas of technology and sustainability, global technology and engineering company Emerson has formalized its collaboration with IITB-Monash Research Academy, a 2008 Joint Venture (JV) academy that aims at enhancing research collaborations between India and Australia.
The signed umbrella agreement marks a step towards a sustainable future through technology and innovation. The partnership will focus on research related to themes such as Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Computational Modelling, Circular Economy, Clean Energy, Health Sciences and Sustainable Society.
“The imperative to navigate a transition to a sustainable future, especially with India’s own ambitious target of becoming net zero by 2070, means that research into sustainability has growing importance,” said Dr. Amit Paithankar, Vice President – Advanced Design Center and Managing Director – South Asia of Emerson.
“At Emerson, part of our environmental sustainability strategy is partnering with academic institutions to drive sustainable innovation, and I am confident that our collaboration with IITB-Monash Research Academy will result in next-generation scalable and commercially viable solutions,” he said of the collaboration on 31 May 2022.
Emerson articulated its global Purpose in 2020. “We drive innovation that makes the world healthier, safer, smarter, and more sustainable,” said the company which has been using the “Greening Of, Greening By, and Greening With” framework to strategize and translate the purpose into ground level actionable sustainability initiatives.
The “Greening Of” initiatives are those that Emerson undertakes internally to improve the performance of its own operations, facilities, offices and employees. “Greening By” on the other hand, is focused on how Emerson helps its customers improve their environmental sustainability through the implementation and use of products and solutions.
Recognizing that collaboration is critical to carve a path to a sustainable future, its “Greening With” strategy fosters collaboration among other stakeholders by participating in leading sustainability industry forums, engaging with governments globally to support sustainability-related policies and regulations, and partnering with academic institutions to drive sustainable innovation.
Aligned with this effort, Emerson has been developing innovative and environmentally sustainable solutions through partnerships with world-renowned universities and research institutions both in India and globally.
The IITB-Monash Research Academy is a unique global research academy and a major Australian-Indian research collaboration formed between India’s top-ranked Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) and Monash University geared towards PhD training on a sizeable scale. The Academy brings a solutions-driven approach to addressing global problems. With strong industry involvement, it is taking the lead in solving some of the greatest challenges of our time.
M.S. Unnikrishnan, CEO of IITB-Monash Research Academy, elaborated, “Both industry and academe are key players in the transition to a sustainable society and we are grateful for industrial partners like Emerson, whose support helps us scale our program, create more PhDs, and further our progress on sustainable innovation.
“Collaborations such as this help bridge the skill gap between what Industry needs and educational institutes produce.”
Emerson (NYSE: EMR), headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global technology and engineering company providing innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial and residential markets.
The IITB-Monash Research Academy was established in 2008 as a unique Joint Venture (JV) research academy that aims at enhancing research collaborations between India and Australia. The Academy’s mandate is facilitating cutting edge, application-oriented research through a PhD program that leverages world class infrastructure at both IIT Bombay and Monash University (Melbourne) developing high impact solutions aimed at helping us achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. fiinews.com
