Stuttgart, Germany-headquartered Bosch Group, a supplier of automotive components to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), is expanding its higher education funding and launching a global initiative. The company is investing a total of ¤50 million to support universities and research projects in Germany, China, India and the US over the next 10 years. Of this, ¤22.8 million would be provided to India.
The initiative — the Bosch InterCampus Programme — aims to achieve lasting improvements in research conditions for undergraduates and scientists in the university sphere, thereby accelerating progress in the highly promising fields of the environment, energy, and mobility, the company said in a release.
The 10-year development project aims to set up the independent Robert Bosch Centre for Research in Cyber Physical Systems at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore. Cyber-physical systems will help to save energy in buildings, for instance. The house of the future will know what current energy prices are and the local weather is like, and optimise its energy consumption according to the needs of its occupants.
Bosch is creating a campus for IT design, cyber-physical systems, mobility solutions and renewable energy in collaboration with India’s leading scientific institute.
“With our funding for higher education in India, we are creating a perfect research and working environment for future IT specialists,” said Vijay Ratnaparkhe, managing director of Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions in India. The rapid developments of the last few years in all key technology sectors are also placing enormous demands on business.
“By funding science and research, we are investing not only in the future viability of our company but also in the future of a global society,” said Franz Fehrenbach, chairman of the Bosch board of management. In the InterCampus programme, undergraduates and scientists will therefore research on electromobility, energy generation, energy efficiency, and reducing emissions from 2011 onward.