Indo French Workshop and Conference on Sustainable Development

Introduction

On the occasion of the festival of France in India “Bonjour India!”

organized by the Embassy of France in India

The Centre for Sustainable Technology, IISc, Bangalore

the Centre de Sciences Humaines, New-Delhi and the Institut Français de Pondichéry, both Research Units of the CNRS, France

are organizing a two day workshop followed by a one day conference

INDO-FRENCH WORKSHOP AND CONFERENCE ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND HUMANITIES- A Tryst with Sustainable Development

January 27, 28 and 29, 2010 at IISc Bangalore.

Sustainable development has been an arena of intensive scientific and socio-political debates for the last four decades and today it has become much more widespread and wide ranging in the climate change context.

With many newer threats emerging to the environment and eco-systems, time has emerged to relook and reorient our understanding of the roles of SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND HUMANITIES in sustainable development.

The challenges faced in sustainable development are common to both India and France. The promotion and emphasis on scientific and technological research in both countries has allowed for numerous platforms for collaboration and interaction in the sciences at the highest levels.

Building upon the long established and successful scientific partnerships in associated areas of research such as the Indo-French Cell for Water Sciences in Bangalore, the Indo-French Centre on Groundwater Research and the Joint Indo-French Laboratory for Sustainable Chemistry in Hyderabad, this workshop will bring together specialists in the field from both countries to address important issues of sustainability in energy, environment and agriculture sectors.

The broad aim of this Workshop cum Conference is to create dialogue between sciences, social sciences and engineering/technology on major issues related to Environment and Sustainable development in order to carry out common research activities between teams from both countries. The two day workshop will bring together academics and practitioners from various institutions of both countries.

Partners

The Indo French Workshop and Conference is organised by :

the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

the Institut Français de Pondichéry (Research Unit of the French CNRS) and

the Centre de Sciences Humaines (Research Unit of the French CNRS), New Delhi

in association with :

The Embassy of France in India

AND

Speakers

The list of speakers (CVs) and their abstracts can be downloaded here.

Programme

Click here to download the program of the workshop and the conference.

The Workshop themes include:

1 - Biodiversity: Mitigation, adaptation and conservation in the context of current climate change.
2 - Climate change: Understanding climate variability and climate change and its impact on the environment.
3 - Water resources: How to manage scarcity and degradation of the resource.
4 - Agriculture and rural development: Food security and sustainable rural development.
5 - Waste management: Development of green industry and recycling of wastes.
6 - Towards a post-carbon society (1): Energy efficiency and alternative energy: the new global challenge.
7 - Towards a post-carbon society (2): Sustainability, habitat efficiency and green buildings

Workshop Format

The Workshop will open on Wednesday morning (27th January 2010) with the first two days devoted to invited participation and deliberations. The two-day program will include seven focused sessions.

On the third day, the 29th, a consolidation of these seven sessions will form the basis of interaction in a larger and well attended conference in the presence of highly reputed scholars from both countries.

Click here to download the program of the workshop and the conference.

Closing Ceremony:

Bringing to a close the Indo French Workshop and Conference and Bonjour India is Michael Frayn’s play Copenhagen which will be staged on the 29^th of January at the Alliance Française de Bangalore. Copenhagen is a fictional interpretation of the real life meeting between Nobel laureates Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg in Sept 1941. Going beyond the central question, why did Heisenberg visit Bohr? , it touches upon metaphysical questions like the complexities of the role and interpretation of science in society, the rationale behind scientific advancement and research, weaving together a discourse on uncertainty, causality, ethics and science.

Copenhagen is presented by the Centre for Film and Drama and is directed by renowned artiste Prakash Belawadi. The play will be held at the AFB at 6pm on the 29^th of January. For more information (tickets etc) please write to us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Venue

Venue:

Days 1 & 2 (27th and 28th January 2010): Mini Auditorium, JN TATA Auditorium, Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bangalore

Day 3 (29th January 2010): JN Tata Auditorium, Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bangalore

Day 3 (29th January 2010) evening closing ceremony: Copenhagen By Michael Frayn, presented by the Centre for Film and Drama - Alliance Française de Bangalore, 6pm.

Please see the section on 'cultural' for the entire list of events on during the Environment and Climate Change week.

Cultural

Environment and Climate Change Week

To mark the Indo French Workshop and Conference a series of cultural events (plays, movies, exhibitions, study abroad presentations all related to science, environment and technology will be held. To see the entire list of events click here.

The Cultural Program (2 film screenings, 1 play, 1 exhibition) can be downloaded here.

For reservations contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Contact Us

CONTACT US

To contact the Organizing teams or the Scientific Committee of the Indo French Workshop and Conference email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

IISc

ABOUT THE INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) came into being on May 27, 1909. In the century that has passed since its inception, IISc has grown to become India's premier centre for research and postgraduate education in science and engineering.

The evolution of the Institute over the past one hundred years has mirrored the development of science and technology in India. A long history, a strong tradition of academic research and an ambience that favours scholarly activity have been important elements in making the Institute a most attractive place for students and faculty. The Institute's commitment to socially relevant research is specifically emphasized by the activities undertaken at the Centre for Sustainable Technologies (CST).

The Centre for Sustainable Technologies (CST) established as Centre for ASTRA (Application of Science and Technology for Rural Areas) in 1974, is IISc’s inter-disciplinary research and technology development centre with a strong focus in the areas of energy and environment.

Major R&D focus has been in the areas of a. wood and solid fuel combustion (micro and macro scales), b. energy intensity of buildings and their reduction c. anaerobic digestion of various wastes (residues and wastewaters) for energy recovery and environmental clean-up d. water quality, water treatment, sanitation and development in a water starved future, e. forestry and climate change f. re-use of waste materials in civil engineering applications.

CST’s is presently focusing its R & D activities in the emerging areas of nano-technology based water treatment devices, nitrogen-recovery from contaminated surface and groundwater resources, biomass refineries for gas (producer gas, hydrogen, etc), liquid fuels and byproducts, energy generation from waste, low-carbon buildings and climate-change mitigation.

Thrust is also being directed towards policy studies on energy, environment, and sustainable development and in developing comprehensive design guidelines for region-specific green buildings and materials.

IF Pondichery

ABOUT THE INSTITUT FRANCAIS DE PONDICHERY

The Institut Francais de Pondichery (IFP) is a financially autonomous institution under the dual supervision of the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MAEE) and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).

Established subsequent to the Treaty of Cession of French Territories in India, the French Institute of Pondicherry was inaugurated on 20 March 1955 and visited the same year by the then Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The mission of the IFP is defined in the Article 24 of the Treaty of Cessation of French Territories in India (1956), as an Establishment for Higher Studies and Research.

Focusing on the regions of South and South East Asia, the IFP’s research expertise lies in the three fields of Indology, Social Sciences and Ecology.

The Department of Social Sciences promotes research on the major questions of society and on the relations between human societies and their environment. Areas of study include social management of water, urban development, demography and social mobility, finance and debt, impact of industrialization on rural systems, diffusion of new technologies, traditional health care systems and health problems related to the spread of transmittable diseases.

The Department of Ecology centres its research on biodiversity and notably on the functioning of fragile ecosystems (forests, mangroves...), by considering man as an important parameter in their evolution. It conducts research that aims to understand and evaluate the biological diversity of natural as well as anthropised ecosystems, with the objective to contribute to the establishment of schemes for conservation and sustainable management of natural resources. A significant space is given to research on palaeoenvironments on the basis of an important collection of pollens.

CSH Delhi

ABOUT THE CENTRE DE SCIENCES HUMAINES, DELHI

The Centre de Sciences Humaines is a financially autonomous institution under the dual supervision of the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MAEE) and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).

Established in 1990, the CSH initially conducted research in history and Indo-Persian culture before shifting its focus in 1995 to a centre specialising in contemporary India and South Asia. Fields of study in the social sciences include economics, political science, international relations, international law, geography, demography, sociology, and anthropology.

The Centre's activities are primarily oriented towards the study of issues concerning the contemporary dynamics of development in India, in its regional and international context.

The overall objective of the CSH is to examine India as an emerging power on the international scene, and to analyse the various transitional processes that affect the country and the greater South Asian region. The Centre’s research activities are thus focused on four main areas:

· Economic reform and sustainable development

· Politics and Society

· Regional dynamics in South Asia and International relations

· Urban Dynamics

Through its numerous collaborations with Indian and European partners, the CSH strengthens the academic links between these two regions of the world and fulfils a function of scientific cooperation. An important element of the centre’s mission is that of offering research training by providing logistical support and guidance to Ph.D. fellows and student interns.

Promoting research is also a key mission of the CSH, which is ensured through a policy of publication, dissemination of research works and the organisation of scientific events. The publications aim at reputed academic journals and publishing houses (in English and in French).

Another objective of the CSH is to promote research whose findings are relevant for economic agents and political decision-makers (planners, senior officials, diplomats, et al.), and thus to disseminate research results beyond academic circles.

About Bangalore

ABOUT BANGALORE

Bangalore, is the capital of the state of Karnataka. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and fifth-most populous urban agglomeration.

Though historical references to the city predate 900 AD, a modern written history of continuous settlement exists only from 1537, when Kempe Gowda I, who many regard as the architect of modern Bangalore, built a mud-brick fort at the site and established it as a province of the imperial Vijayanagara Empire.

Today, as a large and growing metropolis, Bangalore is home to some of the most well-recognized research institutions in India. Numerous public sector heavy industries, software companies, aerospace, telecommunications, and defense organizations are located in the city.

Bangalore is known as the Silicon Valley of India because of its preeminent position as the nation's leading IT employer and exporter. A demographically diverse city, Bangalore is a major economic hub and the fastest growing major metropolis in India.

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