KOCHI: The Smart City Innovation Lab, which is formed with the technical support of German-based Fraunhofer Society will be officially launched on Monday. The lab is formed to help implement the projects under the Centre’s 100 Smart City Mission.
Through the Innovation Lab, Fraunhofer has committed to support the city in preparing the technical and financial feasibility reports for selected sectors, identify the funding partners for projects to execute pilot projects and capacity building of staffs to replicate the innovative models in other parts of the cities or in other cities.
As part of the Smart City Innovation lab, the Fraunhofer team has reached Kochi on Friday and will be in the City till December 12.
A technical workshop as part of the Innovation lab launch was also held on Friday. Cochin Smart Mission Ltd (CSML) managing director A P M Mohammed Hanish suggested that inclusive housing, environmental degradation and canal management, building energy-efficient communities and urban risk resilience are some of the critical sectors where Kochi city would like to have technical hand-holding from the Fraunhofer society.
The workshop also discussed various city-specific topics including Solid and Liquid Waste Management, Mobility, Energy Efficiency, Housing of weaker sections and Canal rejuvenations. Damian Wagner, Senior Project Manager Smart Cities, Fraunhofer, Thomas Schlegl, Head of Department Energy System Analysis, Fraunhofer, officials of Kochi Corporation, GCDA, Kochi Metro Rail Limited, and other Fraunhofer representatives attended the day-long workshop.