BWI: TERI opens its European head office in Utrecht, Netherlands

Press release from Business Wire India
Source: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
Thursday, October 06, 2011 01:16 PM IST (07:46 AM GMT)
Editors: General: Consumer interest, Economy; Business: Business services, Energy companies, Media & entertainment
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TERI opens its European head office in Utrecht, Netherlands
Exchanging scientific knowledge in the field of sustainable development & energy along with promoting partnerships & activities involving European & Asian businesses & institutions to be priority areas for TERI

Utrecht, Netherlands, Thursday, October 06, 2011 -- (Business Wire India) -- Her Royal Highness Princess Máxima of The Netherlands officially opened the European head office of the globally renowned Indian research institute TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) in Utrecht. In addition to exchanging scientific knowledge in the field of sustainable development and energy, the European head office of TERI will also concentrate on promoting partnerships and activities involving European and Asian businesses and institutions. The arrival of TERI's European head office in the Utrecht Science Park will further enhance the sustainability profile of Utrecht University, Utrecht Science Park and the entire Utrecht region.

In her address H.R.H. Princess Maxima highlighted the role of "people, planet and profit" in determining a pattern of sustainable development. She emphasized the enormous opportunities that exist for win-win approaches by which every section of society gains while the environment also gets protected. She also emphasized the importance of sharing knowledge across countries to deal with global challenges such as climate change.

In his address TERI's Director-General, Dr RK Pachauri identified opportunities for Utrecht University and TERI working together for promoting the concept of science parks in some states in India, because if economic growth in India has to proceed at a healthy rate, it would need innovation at an unprecedented level. The development of science parks which bring together knowledge organizations in key sectors of the economy could play a vital role in this direction. It was anticipated that TERI's European Head Office would soon strive to become financially sustainable through the creation of knowledge which has market applications with the benefits of sustainability.

The objective of opening TERI's European head office is to promote the exchange of scientific knowledge in the area of sustainability such as biomass conversion, water, energy, and sustainable cities, which includes promoting scientific research, setting up networks, platforms and intermediary activities between European and Asian companies and institutions.

TERI's European Head office in the Netherlands will work for strengthening the links between India and the Utrecht region and enhancing the Utrecht knowledge infrastructure in the field of sustainability. This office will lead to better opportunities to collaborate between India and players in the Utrecht region, and will certainly contribute to the sustainability activities in the Utrecht-Delft-Wageningen area.

Presently TERI researcher Dr Atul Kumar is the current holder of the Prince Claus Chair at Utrecht University. He is researching the possibility of using renewable energy to reduce global CO2 emissions.

The establishment of TERI's European headquarters in Utrecht is supported by Utrecht University, the Utrecht Provincial Authority and the Utrecht Municipal Authority. TERI already has a global presence in Japan, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Washington DC, and London. It soon is planning to have an office in the African region too.

Symposium on Sustainability

The opening was preceded by a symposium called 'Inclusive Finance, Business and Knowledge Development: towards a Sustainable Future'. The symposium attempted to foster and strengthen cooperation between knowledge institutions, government agencies and the business sector in order to achieve social and economic value addition without rapidly exhausting essential resources as a result. This theme is also central in the partnership between TERI, Utrecht University and other knowledge institutions and businesses in the Netherlands. In addition to HRH Princess Máxima, other speakers were Dr Rajendra Pachauri (Director General TERI and Chairman IPCC), Jacqueline Cramer (Utrecht University), Peter Blom (Triodos Bank) and Paul Schnabel (The Netherlands Institute for Social Research) and Dr Atul Kumar (TERI researcher and current holder of the Prince Claus Chair at Utrecht University).

About TERI

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) was established in 1974. A dynamic and flexible organization, activities in TERI ranges from microbiology to global climate change, from smoke-filled rural kitchens to plush corporate boardrooms, from schoolchildren to heads of state-no sphere of human endeavour is unfamiliar to TERI. The organization works on formulating local and national level strategies to suggesting global solutions to critical energy and environment-related issues. Headed by world-renowned economist Dr. R K Pachauri also head of the Nobel Prize winning UN Climate panel IPCC, TERI is best described as an independent, not-for-profit research institute focused on energy, environment, and sustainable development and devoted to efficient and sustainable use of natural resources. TERI is headquartered in New Delhi and has established regional offices in Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa, Guwahati and Mukhteshwer in the Himalaya's and International centers in Japan, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Washington DC, and London.

For more information please visit:

-- TERI: http://www.teriin.org

-- Prince Claus Chair:
http://www.uu.nl/EN/Current/Pages/PrinsesMáximaverwelkomtnieuweklimaathoogleraarPrinceClausChair.aspx

-- Netherlands Government Information Service (Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst), +31 70 356 4142, www.koninklijkhuis.nl


CONTACT DETAILS
Peter van der Wilt, Utrecht University press officer, Utrecht University, +31 30 253 3705, p.m.vanderwilt@uu.nl
Ms Annapurna Vancheswaran, TERI, +91 (11) 24682100, avanche@teri.res.in
Mr Rajiv Chhibber, Manager Corporate Communications, TERI, +91 9810426698, rajivc@teri.res.in

KEYWORDS
CONSUMER, ECONOMY, BUSINESS SERVICES, ENERGY, MEDIA

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