DRIIV's Annual Flagship Conference RESOLVE- Rendering S&T Solutions for AtmaNirbhar Bharat

Delhi Research Implementation and Innovation (DRIIV), an initiative of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, organised the first edition of its annual flagship conference and exhibition- RESOLVE- showcasing DRIIV's initiatives in sustainability and breakthrough tech innovations so far and bringing together members of the ecosystem who are instrumental in delivering on DRIIV's objectives. 

RESOLVE was held at India International Centre and was attended by key dignitaries including the Former Principal Scientific Adviser to The GoI Prof. K VijayRaghavan, a team of Swedish delegates led by DG Per-Arne Hjelmborn, DG for Trade, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and industry leaders from various cross-sectors; Predeep TP, Robert Bosch; Saurabh Rai, Tech Mahindra; Rajesh Dhar, HP Enterprise; Aman Singal, JK Tyres; Rajesh Jain, Panacea Biotech etc. The event was inaugurated by Prof VijayRaghavan and was followed by a virtual keynote address by Prof. Ajay Sood, PSA to The GoI. During the conference several thematic areas such as Safeguarding Environment & Enabling Smart Cities, International Bridge-Indo-Swedish Collaboration, Sustainable Technology Innovation and Effective Solutions for Climate Resilient Growth, Moving to Sustainable Energy, Creating an Innovation Ecosystem, and Circular Economy were discussed. 

During the event, several Start-Ups displayed various innovative products and solutions for perennial environmental problems such as air pollution, waste management, and healthcare and mobility sectors.

In the keynote address Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser, said “Environmental issues such as waste management, water, security, air pollution etc. cannot be solved without the application of technology. Also,Technology alone cannot solve these problems unless there is a collective effort of all the stakeholders be it local bodies, NGOs communities, corporates. I am glad that Driiv is now beginning to mobilise all the stakeholders and it is apparent in their recent collaboration with GMDA, EMDA, and the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram. Cases directly from these public bodies need to be taken up by research and start-up community to develop solutions that can bring impact on the ground. The DRIIV team is engaged in activities where alongside public bodies and research facilities, private capital is also being mobilised under CSR funds towards environmental sustainability. I hope that DRIIV, with its community and academic experts, entrepreneurs and corporate partners, becomes a valuable resource in contributing towards various national missions as well as SDG goals as India presides over all the G20”

Speaking on DRIIV’s priorities, Shipra Misra (MD & CEO, DRIIV) said “Lack of piloting opportunities and the absence of a funding mechanism for mid-TRL technologies are two major

hurdles for innovators in research-based technologies. DRIIV is focused on solving these problems by engaging public bodies, such as GMDA and MCG to provide real-life use cases on the one hand and mobilising corporates by pooling their CSR resources toward sustainability projects on the other. Based on such use cases, we are implementing sustainable solutions on the ground for a larger impact through pilots.”

Prof. K Vijayraghavan, Former Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India & DRIIV Founder emphasised that it’s not a question of human ingenuity alone, our Planet is at an extraordinary junction, because we have eaten up this planet on such a scale and such a manner that ingenuity alone cannot save it. Sustainable growth requires a focus on the commons and collaterals. The fact of the matter is there is no going back to some nativist past for addressing these environmental issues, we have to go to the future.”

DRIIV (an initiative of the PSA to GoI) is transforming the sustainability paradigm, keeping science and technology at its core. True to this fact, DRIIV’s flagship conference RESOLVE brought together Government authorities, researchers, tech startups, corporates, NGOs under one roof to execute impactful ideas into meaningful solutions under the aegis of UN SDGs on the ground.