Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India (MBRDI) launched the 'Sustainability Garage' to promote innovation in sustainable mobility. In association with Prayoga Institute of Education Research, the Sustainability Garage will serve as a hub for multidisciplinary research, focusing on developing eco-friendly materials with diverse applications to benefit society.
The Sustainability Garage at Prayoga Institute of Education Research aims to foster collaboration between academia and industry, driving research and innovation in sustainable materials and technologies. Under this initiative, MBRDI has jointly developed specialised course material, and over 150 students from six universities in Karnataka—Jain University, RV Institution, JSS Science and Technology University, Vijaya College, Nrupatunga Institution, and St. Joseph’s University—will participate in curated workshops and can experiment with the research equipment.
Manu Saale, Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India, said, “Researchers at MBRDI are deeply engaged in ensuring sustainability as a core priority—from analysing materials to design greener products or better battery chemistry to pivoting increasingly towards digital engineering processes that reduce emissions or waste. In addition to partnerships with academia and research labs that help multiply our innovation quotient, the industry needs to create an ecosystem that nurtures innovation and embraces the principles of circularity and sustainability.”
Dr. H S Nagaraja, Chief Mentor of Prayoga Institute of Education Research, noted, “The collaboration with MBRDI for this Sustainability Garage underlines our shared belief that a strong industry-academia-student relationship can significantly impact the pace of innovation in the coming years. Our nation’s abundant natural resources have the potential to be sustainable materials and the many talented young citizens of the country need to be nurtured. We are optimistic that this initiative will positively impact our society.”