Speech by the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee on the Occasion of Receiving the Garwood Award for ‘outstanding Global Leader in Open Innovation’ by Uc Berkeley – Haas School of Business

It is indeed an honour for me to receive the Garwood Award for "Outstanding Global Leadership in Open Innovation” from the prestigious UC Berkeley-Haas School of Business. The UC Berkeley University has generated more Nobel Laureates till date, than any other university of the world. It is a privilege to be associated with the first public university of the world established in 1868, which has consistently ranked overall Fourth. The Haas School of Business is second oldest business school, ranked One for generating Tech CEOs and remains one of the top ten schools in the world.

2. I would like to thank Governor Jerry Brown of the State of California and his Senate for the legislative proclamation in acknowledging my efforts in open innovation. I would also like to thank Chancellor Nicholas Dirks of UC Berkeley and Dean Richard Lyons of the Haas School of Business.

3. Professor Solomon Darwin, Executive Director of Garwood Centre attended the Festival of Innovation at Rashtrapati Bhavan in March, 2015. He has also contributed to national agenda by developing the very first course and curriculum on building Smart Cities, focused exclusively on India. I am informed that UC Berkeley is the first university to offer such a course in the world. This will help in capacity building for developing countries like India, where the focus is now on building Smart Cities on a big scale.I would like to compliment and thank Professor Solomon Darwin for this initiative.

4. Open Innovation is a way to future as it captures knowledge-flow from all sources, both internal and external, in an organization. Open innovation is most essential for government entities, who are tasked to serve the citizens. Placing of data in the public domain without compromising the privacy, promotes transparency, innovation and opens up new avenues to solve problems of citizens efficiently and effectively.

5. Innovation is a critical driver of growth and development. Open innovation takes the innovation to next level and creates a new eco-system of access and equal opportunities to all. I firmly believe that open innovation has a potential to transform the global social landscape and help achieve the goal of a more fair and just world.

6. Energy and environment are integral for the sustenance of society and civilization. The Presentation made by the Energy Institute of UC Berkeley has immense potential for adaptation and use in India. India supports around 17% of the world’s population, but its energy and electricity consumption is around 5% of the world consumption. In order to sustain the growth rate of over 8% through the next two decades, India will need to increase its electricity supply by at least 5 to 7 times of its current consumption. This is a huge responsibility and challenge because we have to achieve this while preserving the environment. I am sure your prestigious University will take a lead in this field and carve a new path for sustainable and equitable growth through constant innovation and education.

7. I wish the open innovation initiative of UC Berkeley a great success and once again convey my heartiest greetings, warm felicitations and sincere appreciations to the University and all stakeholders.

Thank you.