The Telangana Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-Chain, a novel initiative for promoting sustainable cooling innovation and accelerating the deployment of energy-efficient refrigeration for food and vaccine supply chains across India, was launched in southern India this week.
A joint initiative between the government of Telangana’s State Trade Promotion Corporation, Centre for Sustainable Cooling (CSC) at the University of Birmingham, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the GMR Group, the new CoE will come up with solutions that will help farmers preserve perishable produce and improved quality of goods. The University of Birmingham will serve as knowledge partners and help develop the centre into a state-of-the-art research and innovation hub to deploy needs-driven and equitable system-level cooling and cold-chain solutions across India.
British Deputy High Commissioner Gareth Wynn Owen, who was present at the inauguration in Hyderabad, said: “This is a shining example of collaboration between the UK and India and I am delighted that Hyderabad is hosting this Centre of Excellence.
“Global food security is a priority for the UK and this Centre will play a key role in reducing food waste, increasing sustainable agriculture and supporting rural livelihoods.”
The centre is the outcome of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the government of Telangana and the University of Birmingham in 2022.
Professor Toby Peters from University of Birmingham said: “The centre will have a strong technology and renewable energy underpinning.
“It will take a systems approach focusing on non-technological and behavioural issues as well, recognising that technologies need to be financeable, integrated into processes and be accepted by end users, while some solutions can be achieved though changes or adaptations to operational practices."
Telangana Minister for IT and Industries K.T. Rama Rao noted: “The Centre of Excellence is a first of its kind initiative in India. It will have state of the art equipment and will serve as a one stop solution to address all challenges around cold chain ecosystem in the country.
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“It will develop and demonstrate cooling technologies and solutions that meet the state’s needs and could be scaled up with global reach."
Adopting a “hub and spoke” model, the CoE will deliver upskilling and training programmes for farmers and local agri businesses, agri start-ups and entrepreneurs, equipment technicians and researchers. Telangana pharmaceutical and vaccine exports, dependent on an efficient cold chain ecosystem, are currently worth an estimated $4bn. It is hoped that the CoE will focus on new and sustainable technologies for this cold chain and help contribute to the further growth of the sector.
The CoE will have a solutions development lab and demonstration centre, a model pack-house and community cooling hubs. It is expected to have a significant impact on the lives of farmers in Telangana. Currently, many farmers are unable to sell their perishable produce because they do not have access to cold storage facilities.
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Jimmy Washington from the Carrier Group added: “Carrier is committed to providing advanced, energy efficient and sustainable equipment and service for the cold chain in India and we are pleased to collaborate with the Telangana State Trade Promotion Corporation (TSTPC), to help provide capacity building and skills development opportunities.”
*Info: University of Birmingham