The aim of the workshop is to create targeted and solutions based discussion that will provide tangible insight into how stimulate early-stage cleantech activity in India through the potential establishment of an Innovation Center. Four main themes will be covered during the workshop based on the sector analysis conducted by infoDev's local consultant. These themes will include:

Technology: Moving from barriers to solutions (Led by Ambuj Segar, Indian Institute of Technology)

Discussion will focus on the needs, gaps and barriers (local, regional and national) to clean technology innovation in India. It will also address moving beyond gaps to finding solutions and opportunities given India’s national endowment and competitive advantages in the cleantech space. The topic of innovation policy, IPR and tech transfer will also be discussed as well as technologies that specifically address rural needs.

Finance: Thinking outside of the box (Led by Pankaj Sehgal, The Sun Group)

Discussion will center on the range of financing options for nascent cleantech ventures along the innovation value chain. It will discuss the current situation in India - what is working and what isn’t. It should raise ideas about innovative approaches of access to  finance to ensure both successful commercialization of local innovations and support of accelerated technology transfer.

Collaboration: Government, university and private parternships (Led by H.K. Mittal, National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board)

Discussion will address the opportunities of partnerships how each party can collaborate to leverage collective strengths and stimulate successful commercialization of research including licensing and scale-up of promising enterprises. The discussion should also focus on how to collaborate effectively along the innovation value chain and how to incentivize partnerships.

Entrepreneurship: Building culture and capacity (Led by Laura Parkin, National Entrepreneurship Network)

This session will discuss the barriers to entrepreneurship and address human capital limitations in India in scaling up SMEs in the cleantech space. It will highlight some of the best practices by incubators and universities in supporting cleantech entrepreneurship and discuss where further improvement is needed to build a robust industry from the bottom-up.

All discussions will be focused on the types of resources, structures, financing and capacity building that would be needed to establish a cleantech innovation cluster or "Center" in India. Questions that will be addressed include:

• What technologies would a technology innovation center focus on in India?
• What are the suggested ways to foster commercialization and technology transfer to lead to successful deployment for each technology type?
• What types of financing mechanisms could an innovation center offer to support commercialization of research and the growth of early-stage companies?
• What relationship should be between the centers, national governments, the private sector and other stakeholders?
• What roles should each of these parties play in commercialization and how would they contribute to the innovation ecosystem?
• What specific programs could be introduced to ensure collaboration/partnerships?
• How can India develop its human capital and build an entrepreneurial capacity and culture?
• What are the barriers to entrepreneurship in this space and what challenges do entrepreneurs face commercializing their technologies? 
• What supporting services, resources and facilities would Cleantech entrepreneurs need to help drive technologies to market?

Outcomes of the workshop will be used to form a "Plan of Implementation" for the establishment of a Climate Technology Innovation Center in India which will be reviewed at a second workshop next month on November 17, also in Delhi.