Report:

As cities are more commonly becoming the engines of growth for the economy of every nation, including India, there is a great urge for a comprehensive development of physical, institutional, social and economic infrastructure. Nearly 31% of India’s current population lives in urban areas and contributes 63% of India’s GDP (Census 2011). With increasing urbanization, urban areas are expected to house 40% of India’s population and contribute 75% of India’s GDP by 2030. Development of Smart Cities is a step in that direction.

To understand more the nuances of concept of Smart Cities, AIC-NMIMS Incubation Centre hosted a half-day seminar on “Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Smart Cities in India”. This event was hosted in collaboration with Ureka Education Foundation (UK) and Universal Value Creation Institute (France) and was attended by a group of 34 participants that included students & faculty from NMIMS (Deemed to be University), incubatees of AIC-NMIMS and entrepreneurs from Mumbai.

Dr. Roshan Yedery (Manager-Incubation, AIC-NMIMS Incubation Centre, Mumbai) welcomed the participants and quickly briefed on the activities of AIC-NMIMS including the support mechanisms available for the start-ups incubated in their centre. The event was scheduled in two sessions. The first session started with a overall view on “Value Creation in Smart Cities” given by Dr.Philippe Bourvier (President, Universal Value Creation Institute, France). This was followed by an introduction to the Smart City Mission initiated by the Indian Government along with examples and statistics of projects sanction under this mission, in a talk given by Mr. Subhash Patil (Partner, Government & Public Sector Practice, PwC, Mumbai). The next speaker Mr. Jean-Marc Mignon (Economic Department, General Consulate of France, Mumbai) gave a summary of “French Initiatives in Indian Smart Cities”. Later Mr. Pradeep Padode (Director, Smart Cities Council, Mumbai) gave an overview of smart solutions that could be harnessed in Indian cities in “Smart Cities and Smart Solutions”. The last speaker Mr. Subhankar Mitra (Senior Director, West India, JLL, Mumbai) touched the topic of growing need for affordable housing in India with some examples and statistics in “Urban Strategies in India”. The event ended with a panel discussion with Mr. Subhash Patil, Mr. Jean-Marc Mignon, Mr. Pradeep Padode & Mr. Subhankar Mitra as the panelists and Dr. Philippe Bouvier as the moderator. Seevral key issues were identified and discussed.

In the second session, Ms. Rifka David (Export Trade Advisor, Business France India) spoke on the initiatives taken by FrenchTech in promoting Indian Start-ups in France and French Start-ups in India. The last of the event was given by Mr. Abhilash Mishra (CEO, NSE Academy Limited, Mumbai) who spoke on mechanisms of “Creating Smart learning Ecosystems”. The seminar ended with a vote of thanks from Dr. Roshan Yedery (Manager-Incubation, AIC-NMIMS Incubation Centre, Mumbai).