EU seeks R&D tieups with SMEs

The European Business and Technology Centre (EBTC), which supports cleantech companies and researchers from the European Union (EU), is planning to bring EU companies into Indian market. The EU body facilitates tieups ups with Indian companies that are into clean technology industries.

According to EBTC, it is in talks with Wipro and two other companies for tieups. The other companies are Bangalore-based OB Energy and i2india, the Indian arm of Imperial Innovations, Plc, UK, the technology commercialisation venture of Imperial College London. i2india aims to fill the gap of product innovation in India by creating an eco-system for early stage technology commercialisation.

EBTC is an initiative co-founded by the European Union and co-ordinated by the Eurochambres, which assists the business, science and research community, both in Europe and India, to work together for generating new business opportunities in clean technology transfer. EBTC has set up a centre in Bangalore to promote business, research and technological co-operation in the energy and environmental fields. This is the fourth centre for EBTC in the country, after Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. For setting up the centres, EBTC has a budget of ¤16 million. The centre will build synergies among the chambers of commerce of EU member states that are already established in the region and work together with the existing European business associations in India and Europe. It will also interface between public policy makers and private players, raising awareness on the existing European programmes in the fields of science and technology as well as business and industrial cooperation.

“We expect the centre to further foster links between European and Indian businesses as well as between science and technology actors to promote the EU and respond to demands of the Indian market. The centre will promote sustainable clean technologies in India, and particularly south India,” said Daniele Smadja, ambassador, head of delegation of the European Union to India, said. EBTC also signed a MoU with the Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce to increase collaboration opportunities between Europe and Southern India.

According to Poul V Jensen, director EBTC, the main beneficiaries will be organisations and firms in Europe and India willing to develop strategic business alliances and joint research projects, and those interested in sourcing cutting-edge technologies and related competencies which are not available in their locality.