For more than two decades, India with its talent pool has been the first address for the world when it comes to engineering research and development, and the current wave of talent is set to solve some of the most pressing sustainability challenges we face in the automotive industry, Manu Saale, Managing Director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India, said on Tuesday.

Speaking to IANS at the sidelines of an event in the national capital, Saale said that the Indian engineering community is poised to handle some of the most pressing AI and data-related challenges that are there in the ecosystem.

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“The new found focus on engineering research and development by the government and the corporates — and discovering the power of product engineering out of India — is just well placed, after decades of IT supporting the growth of the digital services economy,” he mentioned.

“Engineering research and development is right now poised to take India out of the services discussion that the country has benefitted from into product space — both for solving its own challenges like mobility or healthcare, but also some of the problems the world is going to face in the years to come,” the company executive told IANS.

Underscoring its commitment to nurturing a sustainability ecosystem, Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India also announced the expansion of ‘Sustainability Garage’ initiative with two new Centres of Excellence based out of Hyderabad and New Delhi.

“With the Sustainability Garage, Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India underlines the goal of our worldwide corporate citizenship strategy to promoting ecological sustainability and fostering community empowerment,” said Renata Jungo Brungger, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG for Integrity, Governance and Sustainability.

“The Indian initiative supports local startups and the next generation of leaders. I am excited to see the innovations emerging from these partnerships,” he added.

The first Centre of Excellence, the Climate Tech Incubator, aims to support 25 social enterprises focused on sustainable mobility and environmental innovation. T-Hub will engage over 500 students in design thinking and prototyping bootcamp for innovative climate tech solutions contributing towards decarbonisation.

The Centre of Excellence focusing on Charging Infrastructure, set up in partnership with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), will offer a specialised training programme on maintenance of charging infrastructure, certifying 60 young professionals this year to address the growing demand in this sector, said the company.

“We are confident that India’s digital research and development talent pool and pioneering spirit will lead us to some transformative climate-positive solutions for the world,” Saale noted.