Chennai to host meet on automotive R&D

The seventh edition of the Conference on Automotive R&D Trends, the annual flagship event of the Tamil Nadu Technology Development and Promotion Centre of CII is scheduled to be held in Chennai on March 13, according to Knowledge and News Network (KNN), a media platform for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

The theme of the conference is 'Towards Strengthening Indian Automotive R&D,' which has relevance for the MSME sector, considering that the MSME-dominated auto component sector has been one of the fastest-growing industries during the past two decades and also has a significant share in exports.

Currently there are 24 auto component clusters in India, with the highest concentration of five each in Maharashtra and Gujarat, followed by four in Punjab, three in Haryana, two in Karnataka, and one each in Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, KNN said, quoting an official release.

"The conference aims to help stakeholders understand the current scenario of automotive R&D, challenges ahead and share their expectations. It also attempts to project the future of the automotive R&D in comparison with the global level and bring in stakeholders views for matching this growth with the global standards," the official release said.

The key objectives of the conference are to: serve as a platform for stakeholders from the automotive and allied industrial sectors to share their views on strengthening the base for automotive R&D; and develop a systematic approach to addressing key gaps in R&D.

The conference will also attempt to understand the domestic and global R&D phase to plan for future developments; highlight priority areas for developing robust systems and solutions through research and innovation; and catalyse the automotive growth through innovation and technology.

Other objectives of the conference are to aid government agencies in development of effective R&D policy; aid Indian industries in interactions with international networks for best practices, collaborative R&D and product development; and to facilitate knowledge flow by working with international organisations through bi-lateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms.

Global speakers from leading OEMs, prominent auto component industries, transport organisations, infrastructure companies, service providers, system integrators, state and central government officials and corporate consultants will participate. Close to 250 senior management personnel from diverse industries in India and abroad are expected to attend.