Sustainability Education in Indian Technical Higher Education

The Bartlett Development Planning Unit (DPU), in collaboration with the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) and Mercedez-Benz Research and Development India, was awarded the British Council Exploratory Grant to evaluate the curricula of various disciplines across Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) in India. Dr Daniel Oviedo (DPU) is the project's principal investigator, and it is co-led by Amir Bazaz (IIHS). The team is working closely with Navaneeth Raghu, Sustainability Deputy Manager at Mercedez-Benz Research and Development India Private Limited (MBRDI), and Professor Madhav Badami (McGill University), from the Trottier Institute for Sustainability in Engineering and Design.

The project has identified sustainability and linked innovation as a core strategic pillar. This project provides an opportunity to integrate it as a core learning pillar within engineering education institutions in India. By establishing a partnership with MBRDI, the project will leverage its ecosystem to strengthen teaching capacities and institutionalise an entrepreneurial mindset that focuses on problem-solving. This project aims to transform the current engineering curricula in India, which are rigidly tied to disciplinary goals, by promoting interdisciplinary and sustainability-integrated curricula. The project will collaborate with select engineering colleges, assess their needs, and integrate sustainability through sustainable cities, transport, and urban mobility agendas while localising sustainable development through an educational framework. The curriculum will be structured as modular blocks, incorporating the local sustainability agenda into specific engineering disciplines, enabling students to appreciate context-specific mobility and other urban issues. Additionally, it aims to develop a propositional and solution-centric mindset and capacity among student learners. IIHS and MBRDI will lead the collaboration with the colleges, and the DPU will leverage its industry and educational experience to enhance the process. Specific international experience will be utilised in the context of similar academic challenges or via learnings from elsewhere. 

The team will design and develop a learning module until April 2024. During April and May this year, the team will conduct workshops with experts and seek internal consultation. The piloting of the learning module will be in August and September 2024. The project will enable knowledge exchange between different settings, and for this purpose, workshops will be conducted in the UK and India. The team will be able to come together and exchange knowledge with different stakeholders, students, and other academic community members.

Team

Dr Daniel Oviedo (Development Planning Unit – DPU)

Associate Professor Daniel Oviedo is a civil engineer with a PhD in development planning and a master's in transport planning. With over 14 years of experience in transport and development research, he specializes in analysing inequalities related to urban transport and policy evaluation in developing countries. He has worked on research projects across Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the UK, advising national governments, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the World Bank on transport planning, social equity, and sustainability. He is also the director of the International Network for Transport and Accessibility in Low-Income Communities (INTALInC) in Latin America and the Caribbean, the UCL-Osaka Walking Cities Lab and the UCL Inclusive Mobility Innovations Platform. He is also the Principal Investigator for the three-year Medical Research Council-funded project, “On the Way to School”, focusing on active mobility to and from school in adolescents in Bogotá, Colombia and Maputo, Mozambique. View Daniel's profile.

Dr Cassidy Johnson (Development Planning Unit – DPU)

Cassidy Johnson is a Professor of Urbanism and Disaster Risk Reduction at UCL's Bartlett Development Planning Unit. Professor Johnson will be an advisor of the project. She conducts research and teaches about disaster risk, post-disaster recovery, and climate change adaptation. Cassidy's research focuses on improving the quality of life for low-income groups in urban areas. She has worked with policymakers, local communities, and collaborative projects in numerous countries across Asia and Africa. Cassidy has published in leading journals on urban development, housing, and disasters, and has also edited three books and engaged in numerous funded research projects. She regularly serves as an advisor to UK Research Councils, the United Nations Office for Disaster Reduction, The World Bank, and other organizations. View Cassidy's profile. 

Amir Bazaz (Indian Institute for Human Settlements – IIHS)

Amir Bashir Bazaz is the Lead-Practice at IIHS with a PhD in Management specialising in Public Systems. His research focuses on the intersection of economics, climate change, and sustainable development. Dr. Bazaz has extensive experience working with various integrated assessment frameworks and modelling arrangements. At IIHS, he is the Regional Research Lead for a climate adaptation research project. He has also been involved in practice-based engagements such as 'Energy Innovation,' 'Sustainability of Ecosystem Services,' and 'Migration-Climate Resilience dynamics for Indian cities.' Dr. Bazaz has been a regular team member for many 'Disaster and Climate Resilience' projects at IIHS and teaches regularly in the Urban Fellows and the Urban Practitioners Program. View Amir's profile. 

Professor Madhav Badami (McGill University – Trottier Institute for Sustainability in Engineering and Design)

Professor Badami has a dual appointment in the School of Urban Planning and the McGill School of Environment. He started his educational journey by studying mechanical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. After that, he spent nine years working in diesel engine development in the Indian truck and bus industry. Later, he pursued a master’s degree in environmental science at the University of Calgary and earned a PhD from the School of Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia. Professor Badami is a crucial core faculty member in the inter-faculty BA&Sc program specialising in Sustainability, Science, and Society. View Madhav's profile. 

Navaneeth Raghu (Sustainability Deputy Manager at Mercedez-Benz Research and Development India Private Limited – MBRDI)

Navaneeth Raghu comes with over 8 years of experience in the conceptualisation and execution of Sustainability projects in the urban ecosystem in India. He has a master’s degree in social work. In his current role as the Sustainability lead at Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India (MBRDI), he has been leading projects focusing on Sustainable Mobility and Environmental Sustainability as key topics; he works closely with diverse internal and external stakeholders such as government bodies, corporate, non-profits and academicians to design and drive sustainable changes at the local level. Navaneeth was instrumental in organising the first Mercedes-Benz Sustainability dialogue in India, and he played an integral role in designing and executing the first-of-its-kind framework on "Sustainable Transition" that enables startups in India to integrate their business with ESG pillars. View Navaneeth's profile.

About MBRDI

MBRDI, headquartered in Bengaluru, India, was established in 1996 to conduct captive research, IT, and product development activities. Initially, our focus was on topics like CAD, CAE, and IT programming for all Mercedes-Benz AG group business units. MBRDI is formation aligns with Mercedes-Benz AG's goal of attracting the world's best engineering talent and establishing a global footprint for its R&D and IT competencies in the research and development arm of Mercedes-Benz in India. It is a subsidiary of Daimler AG, the parent company of the Mercedes-Benz brand. MBRDI is focused on various aspects of automotive research, development, and engineering. The primary functions of MBRDI include software development, vehicle testing, simulation, and other engineering activities related to Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The centre plays a crucial role in the global research and development network of Daimler AG, contributing to the advancement of technology and innovation in the automotive industry. More information can be found here. 

Partners

Outputs

More information will be shared in the upcoming months.