The 3rd Smart Cities Expo and Conference in New Delhi was an excellent platform for exchanges about clean technologies between Switzerland and India. From energy-efficient buildings and clean energy solutions for waste to smart urban mobility, Swiss companies showcased many solutions which have already been successfully implemented and drew much interest from the Indian audience.
Switzerland was one of three workshop partners of the 3rd Smart Cities Expo and Conference and presented seven Swiss Cleantech companies, including two start-ups, and two cooperation projects at the Swiss pavilion. The Swiss Business Hub India, the Swiss Cooperation Office India, swissnex India, and the Embassy of Switzerland joined hands for a strong Swiss presence at the Expo. During all three days, the “red” pavilion was well frequented and visitors interacted with the company representatives for more specific details on the Swiss Cleantech technologies, ranging from smart digital platforms for the gas and oil industry, energy efficient construction methods to green financing and new sustainable technologies designed to make profits from solid and liquid waste.
The Swiss Business Hub India invited five Cleantech companies to come to India: BNL Clean Energy, Paradox Engineering, Sensile Technologies, Sofies International, South Pole Group. Read about their detailed profiles in the Expo brochure. swissnex India hosted the two Swiss start-ups. Smixin offers resource-efficient hand washing solutions – its demonstration device was one of the attractions at the Swiss pavilion and was tested as many as 180 times. Treatech envisions cost-efficient and eco-friendly treatment-based liquid waste disposal. The Swiss Cooperation Office in India presented their two smart cities projects. The Indo-Swiss Building Energy Efficiency Project BEEP provides technical assistance to reduce the energy consumption of buildings through efficient integrated design and innovative solutions such as external shading. The project CapaCITIES provides technical support to the four Indian cities Coimbatore, Rajkot, Siliguri and Udaipur in becoming low carbon and climate resilient.
During the session “Swiss innovation for smart cities in India”, the Cleantech companies and projects had the chance to present and discuss their solutions and technologies directly with the audience. The Ambassador of Switzerland to India, Dr. Andreas Baum, inaugurated the session pointing out the cooperation between India and Switzerland in business, science and technology and how Swiss cities have become more sustainable in the past two decades. More than 100 people attended the session, including the presentation by Dr. Shirish Sinha, Deputy Head of the Swiss Cooperation Office, who named the enormous challenges the fast-growing Indian cities are facing today. As a concrete example, the Mayor of Siliguri Mr. Narayan Bhattacharya presented his city’s urban development plans for the next five years. The following discussion and interaction with the public focused on the implementation of the presented Swiss solutions into the Indian market.
Furthermore, an evening reception at the Embassy of Switzerland brought together 80 smart cities stakeholders from business, government, science and technology for more casual interactions and a buffet dinner. The Ambassador of Switzerland, Dr. Andreas Baum, and the Director of the Swiss Business Hub India, Michael Enderle, warmly welcomed the guests to interact with the Swiss exhibitors and the speakers of the Swiss session.
The Smart Cities India 2017 Expo was also a platform to present the extensive knowhow of the Swiss Cleantech industry in general with its innovative small and medium enterprises, currently employing 5.5% of the total Swiss workforce. The Swiss Cleantech 2017 Report was distributed among the interested visitors. The communication unit of the Swiss Government, Presence Switzerland, presented an article showcasing Swiss smart cities, at the same time referencing the ongoing Expo in India.
