IGCS Research Associate Dr. Christoph Woiwode shares the updates from IGCS Focus Area- Land Use in September. He states:
“Three incredibly fabulous weeks of scholarly exchange and engagement ended with the departure of Dr. Keya Chakraborty and Lalit Kishor Bhati on 28.09.2024. During this time, IGCS’ had the opportunity to contribute to the #DAADGlobalEnvironmentCentres Conference in Berlin and the #IOERConference in Dresden with a workshop, meet and network with fantastic people, and made the most of it by exploring common research interests.
Adding to the activities were talks given by Keya and Lalit at the IOER, UNU- FLORES, and the Sri Aurobindo Centre Berlin. This stay provides a fruitful foundation to continue our collaboration on various levels in the near future!
“I am pleased to announce that I have been awarded the Oxford Berlin Research Partnership Early Career Researcher Mobility Fellowship. This exceptional opportunity has enabled me to join the Energy Storage and Carriers group, led by Dr. BINJIAN NIE, at the Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford.
Collaborating with Dr. Binjian Nie and his distinguished team has allowed me to explore new perspectives, contribute to ongoing projects in the field of renewable energy systems and investigate new avenues of collaboration between Oxford and TU Berlin to strengthen research partnerships and explore the potential for future collaborative projects.
Oxford enriches my experience, providing me the opportunity to immerse myself in the rich academic traditions of this prestigious university while surrounded by centuries-old architecture.
I look forward to deepening my contribution to this esteemed community and continuing the work we have initiated.”
The event offered a plantform to engage and exchange with a delegation from Indian ministries, funding agencies, higher education- and research institutions.
The panel discussion focussed on: Indo-German research cooperation – The Way ahead? and offered insights into the chances as well as challenges in the years ahead.
DAAD Global Centres Conference: Imaginaries of Climate Futures – Cross Regional Insights to get from Knowledge to Action
The IGCS Team, with Post-docs Dr. Mozhiarasi Velusamy and Lukas Paul Loose, IGCS Project Coordinator Lisa Van Aalst and IGCS Associate Researcher Christoph Woiwode participated in the midterm conference of the Global Centres.
The three-day programme brought together researchers and practicioners from all continents. The programme consisted of policy dialogues, panel discussions and individual presentations.
Most notably, the Indo-German Centre for Sustainability (IGCS) hosted a workshop on Imaginaries of Inside-Out Place making: Sensing, Designing and Transforming (urban) Spaces with humans and the non-human world for sustainable and climate resilient futures that was guided by Dr. Christoph Woiwode and two IGCS funded researchers Dr. Keya Chakraborty and Mr. Lalit Kishor Bhati.
IGCS and motan are carrying out a two-day virtual workshop and are looking for your entrepreneurial ideas.
IGCS-motan Workshop flyer 2024
Have you always had ideas on how to revolutionize the way we work and live with plastics in a sustainable way?
Then take part in our #SustainabilityChallenge: ‘Reduce | Re-Use | Recycle | Recover: Plastics in a Circular Economy – Sustainable Solutions and Innovations for a Greener Future’ and make a difference – shape the future with your innovative and sustainable ideas.
The workshop is a platform to present your entrepreneurial ideas and have an opportunity to fund those ideas into innovative solutions for a greener future under IGCS and motan.
The IGCS-motan collaborative efforts are dedicated to helping students from Indian and German academic institutions to develop and foster sustainable ideas. This workshop is a continuation of our joint vision: incorporate innovative and sustainable ideas generation in interdisciplinary research, teaching, training, and exchange in the area of sustainable development. Together motan and IGCS would like to motivate and support students to conduct research in the area of plastics and the circular economy.
Thus, IGCS and motan jointly extend an invitation to be a part of our event. We are always looking for motivated students to carry out a research project or an industry internship supported by motan and the IGCS.
2 day- virtual workshop: 02. December – 03. December 2024
Presentation: 13. December 2024
● Program:
Impulse lectures by domain experts, work in small groups on related topics and presentations
● Target group:
Students from all disciplines who are currently enrolled in an undergraduate (Bachelors), post-graduate (Masters), or doctoral program in Indian or German academic institutions
● Award:
The winner will receive a prize money and a chance to implement their innovative ideas with support from IGCS and motan.
Requirements:
● Letter of Motivation
● CV
● Certification of enrolment (in current university)
About motan
Sustainability is a core value within the motan culture. This means not only the products, solutions, and behavior but also the training of young people and the development of global networks. In addition to social aid and cultural projects, the foundation’s focus is on introducing social responsibility into business activities. For more information on motan and their activities, please visit the link.
We kicked off another iteration of our flagship program, the IGCS Summer School 2024, hosted by RWTH Aachen University in the beautiful city of #Aachen, #Germany.
Each year, we handpick 30 outstanding international applicants—15 from German universities and 15 from Indian universities—to learn, discuss, and collaborate on critical topics related to the environment, sustainability, and climate change. This year, our focus is on the transformative concept of the Regenerative #Urban Futures — #CircularEconomies and Societies.
On behalf of the entire IGCS team, we are thrilled to welcome these brilliant minds from around the world and are eager to see the great ideas and solutions we will create together.
Manikandan S, was a research grantee from the University of Kerala, at RWTH Aachen University from 01/10/2023 until 31/12/2023. Starting as the participant for the IGCS #WinterSchool in 2022 and again in 2023, he applied for the IGCS Grant for 2023 under IGCS’ Prof. Klaus Reicherter for his research on “Interstitial water-sediment characteristics from the tsunami affected areas of Kayamkulam and Edava-Nadayara Estuary, Southwest coast of Kerala, India.” His home supervisor is Dr.Jaya D.S.
The research from our grantee was conducted in collaboration with Prof. Klaus Reicherter focuses on the interstitial water-sediment characteristics post-tsunami along the Kollam and Alappuzha shoreline on India’s southwest coast. Interstitial water, found between sediment particles, is crucial for aquatic ecosystems due to its role in the exchange of dissolved species. This study is significant due to the severe impact of tsunamis and other natural disasters like the Ockhi cyclone in 2017 and the 2018 flash floods on this region.
You can read their Research Brief in their Scholarship Report below:
IGCS awards scholarships to students and researchers whose projects on sustainability issues benefit from a research exchange to India or Germany. The scholarship consists of a mobility grant and an accommodation grant.
Manikandan S, was a research exchange scholar from the University of Kerala, at RWTH Aachen University from 01/10/2023 until 31/12/2023. Starting as the participant for the IGCS #WinterSchool in 2022 and again in 2023, he applied for the IGCS Grant for 2023 under IGCS’ Prof. Klaus Reicherter for his research on “Interstitial water-sediment characteristics from the tsunami affected areas of Kayamkulam and Edava-Nadayara Estuary, Southwest coast of Kerala, India.” His home supervisor is Dr.Jaya D.S.
He shares with us his experience report accounting his experience at the RWTH Aachen University, and Aachen City which was supported by the IGCS. He talks about moments that significantly improved his research skills and widended his global perspective and more! Manikandan’s experience report exemplifies IGCS’ core vision of harnessing the transformative power of international academic collaboration in climate science and sustainabilty.
IGCS awards scholarships to students and researchers whose projects on sustainability issues benefit from a research exchange to India or Germany. The scholarship consists of a mobility grant and an accommodation grant.
For more information visit our website: https://www.igcs-chennai.org/grants/
The IGCS takes pride in sharing testimonial videos from our recent exchange scholars, where our researchers share first hand academic and cultural experience in their host country.
Today we share the accounts from Akshaya T R who stayed with us at RWTH Aachen University, Germany from 02.12.23 until 01.06.24. Akshaya shares her impression of Germany, research motivation and overall experience with the IGCS.
About IGCS Grants:
IGCS awards scholarships to students and researchers whose projects on sustainability issues benefit from a research exchange to India or Germany. The scholarship consists of a mobility grant and an accommodation grant.
For more information visit our website: https://www.igcs-chennai.org/grants/
Focus Area Landuse introduces ARiSE Chennai – Agroecology, Resilience, Sustainability and Entrepreneurship.
IGCS announces an exciting Focus Area Landuse, Urban/Rural Development project. Funded with Rs. 20 Lakhs under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by our partner company Solverminds Technology Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Chennai. This 18-month-long project addresses one of humanity’s key grand challenges at the interface of rapid urbanization, particularly, how to make food production and consumption more sustainable, secure, just, and resilient.
Together with our partner organisation, Chennai Resilience Centre, we are looking forward to implementing the overarching objective of the project, which is to develop a strategic vision of peri/urban agroecology for the metropolitan region of Chennai that enhances climate risk resilience and sustainable development through an entrepreneurial approach, with the longer-term vision to create an urban food council. This project further builds on previous research in the Peri-Cene project by the IGCS Landuse area, which identified agroecology as a high-potential, sustainable, adaptive development pathway to address climate change and disaster risks.
IGCS is a source of inspiration and skills for proactive sustainability transformation in research and teaching activities. The sustainable use of resources in times of climate change and forthcoming societal challenges is a pressing task. The centre offers valuable human capital and solutions for various global challenges. It equips international talents from German and Indian universities. It collaborates with companies and NGOs to accept this challenge. IGCS welcomes liaison with new partners to tackle the present global challenges together.
