German firm Steag opens technology centre in Kochi

Higher education in India is moving to a more practical application of knowledge, enabling the country to make giant strides in technology, said German Ambassador to India, Walter J Lindner.

“Back in Germany, learning is structured. Here you have stronger emphasis on innovation. Thus a good combination of talent and encouragement. Who knows, the next Nobel Prize could be from this centre,” he remarked, inaugurating a state-of-the-art facility that German power major Steag set up at Rajagiri School of Engineering and Technology (RSET) here.

The 4,000-square-foot facility, which is equipped with 3D printers, CNC routers, laser cutters and electronics and software, aims to boost innovation based on the principle of ‘learning by doing’. It facilitates development of any technological idea up to the prototype stage, enabling execution of projects in the fields of energy, mobility and recycling of materials focussed on the requirements of a Smart City.

Noting that the centre will foster greater collaboration between academia and industry, Lindner noted that new-age India will be recognised more for its capability in IT and innovation.

Steag Energy Services GmbH CEO Ralf Schiele, addressing the ceremony, said India has a good blend of “creativity and energy”. The Steag centre at RSET is one of the several Indo-German initiatives in Kochi. Rajagiri, which hosts a bi-annual Indo German Summit to foster collaborative programmes with German universities, is planning to have students from German varsities join students of Rajagiri in the training programmes at the Centre for Smart City Technologies from next year.