As of 2019, Pune’s strength areas and potential lie in the following ———–
Potential for knowledge cluster:
- Astrophysics (IUCAA, NCRA, IISER)
- Chemicals and soft material (NCL, IISER)
- Biological sciences (IISER, NCCS, NIV, NCL, ARI, NARI)
- Archeology and languages (Deccan College, SPPU)
Potential for innovation cluster:
- IT B2B products
- Health/ medical products
- Creative arts and media
- Agro/ animal
- (I am intentionally not including those sectors where there is an aspiration and stray cases but not really a cluster)
Industry clusters:
- Automotive
- Advanced mechanical engineering /manufacturing
- Information technology products
- Information technology services
- Food and agriculture
- Biotech – health, industrial and agro
- Biomed engineering
- Education
- Electronics, appliances, mechatronics
- Clean energy
- Defense – education, development, manufacturing
- Non-profit and civil society organisations
- Religion and spiritual
- Adventure and sports
- Scientific/R&D services
One thing that immediately strikes you is that Pune city has not really explored synergies between its different types of clusters. For example, Pune has industry strength in mechanical engineering but not really world class innovation or new knowledge generation strengths in mechanical engineering (It produces world class mechanical engineers, though!) . Why not? We have a chemicals and soft materials research strength, but we have not really build industry strength in the discipline in Pune (it has happened in Mumbai, Gujarat and Hyderabad, courtesy Pune). Why not?
How do we create mechanisms to build these synergies out and leverage it to make the clusters truly world class?