International Centre for Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development (IC-ISID)

Context

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and UNIDO the joint International Centre for Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development (IC‐ISID). IC-ISID worked to increase industrial competitiveness through technology upgradation, innovation, generation of jobs considering environment protection and access to energy. The Centre was established as a merger of two previously existing UNIDO Centres in India:

1. The International Centre for Advancement of Manufacturing Technology (ICAMT)
2. The UNIDO Centre for South-South Industrial Cooperation (UCSSIC)

IC-ISID aimed to strengthen the productivity and competitiveness of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in priority manufacturing sectors in India as well as in other developing countries.

1. Strengthened technical capacity and manufacturing capability in the recipient developing countries, particularly in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), through facilitating transfer and adaptation of best Indian proven ISID industrial technology-led solutions; and
2. Enhanced productivity and export growth of MSMEs in manufacturing industry of India through upgrading ISID industrial technology-led solutions in local MSMEs.

Activities

The project comprised the following key outputs: efficient and effective operations of IC-ISID; development of a 5-year operational framework; private sector participation in R&D, technology deployment and investment; and development and execution support for demand driven ISID relevant projects in India and in other developing countries. The main focus areas of the Centre were on:

1. Support for the facilitation and execution of technical cooperation projects; and
2. Advocacy and networking to promote ISID.

Achievements

The main achievements of IC-ISID are:

1. Project execution: Under the umbrella of IC-ISID, a total of 8 projects, funded by the Government of India, were executed in part (ongoing projects inherited at start of IC-ISID -2 projects) or in full (projects initiated and supported by IC-ISID). The projects supported include:

Projects for Indian manufacturing industries:

1. Development and adoption of appropriate technologies for enhancing productivity in cement sector
2. Development and adoption of appropriate technologies for enhancing productivity in pulp and paper sector
3. Kanpur leather development project
4. Development and adoption of appropriate technologies for enhancing productivity in Indian bicycle and bicycle parts industry
5. Firm Level demonstrations of appropriate technology and productivity methods in paper industry
6. National innovation and innovation systems survey

South South cooperation projects:

1. Promotion of neem-derived biopesticides in West Africa
2. Strengthening the technical service capabilities of the Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI) in collaboration with Kenya Subcontracting and Partnership Exchange Programme (SPX)
2. IC-ISID contributed to awareness generation, promotion and advocacy for ISID through participation in various key events and initiatives, selected examples of which are:
1. Participation in flagship events and global forums such as; FICCI DST R&D Summit 2020; Millennium Alliance Initiative (Innovation Conclave 2018); Launch of UNIDO’s Industrial Development Reports 2018 and 2020; ‘International Convention on Sustainable Trade and Standards’; BRICS E-commerce Training Workshop; CII’s ‘Smart Manufacturing Summits’ (2018, 2019 and 2020), and others, which were held during 2018-2020.
2. Contributions to UNIDO Industrial Development Report (IDR) 2020, entitled “Industrializing in Digital Age”: IC-ISID compiled case studies of Indian organizations for UNIDO publication titled “Absorbing Advanced Digital Production Technologies to Foster Industrialization - Evidence from Case Studies in Developing Countries”.
3. Contribution to the Building Back Business from Crisis (B3C) online knowledge and collaboration platform that aims to support MSMEs to restart, recover and revitalize business post COVID-19 lock down (www.b3cmsme.org).