Intel and Dept of Science and Technology to foster tech innovation

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Intel has announced the Intel and DST “Innovate for Digital India Challenge”, which will focus on the creation of products to increase technology adoption in India.

The challenge, running from April 2015 to January 2016, is open to academia, aspiring entrepreneurs and startups. Total grants worth Rs.1.5 crs; top three will get access to seed fund of Rs.20 lakhs each.

Participants will be provided mentoring by industry stalwarts and Intel experts, assistance in terms of technical know-how, access to product kits and infrastructure, and commercialization opportunities. They will also be offered market linkages and access to funds at various stages to help make their ideas a reality.

The challenge was designed in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology* (DST), with support from the Department for Electronics and Information Technology , MyGov.in and will be managed by IIM Ahmedabad’s Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE).

The challenge aims to encourage the creation of intuitive, easy-to-use solutions that can increase access to critical services imperative for development. Eventually the best ideas will get help for commercialization leading to the creation of a local technology ecosystem furthering the government’s Make in India vision.

The challenge will focus on innovation in two broad areas. The first is innovation to create the ideal citizen’s device platform, including biometric sensing capabilities, peripherals using other sensors, intuitive user interface, gesture recognition, multilingual support and voice support. The second area is innovation to deliver eKranti*/MyGov applications to accelerate delivery of e-governance services on a mobile platform.

H K Mittal, Member Secretary, National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB), said, “Innovation always leads the way to finding the most creative solutions to societal challenges. Generating innovation is not the job of the government alone. Therefore it gives me great optimism to have Intel come forward - through Public Private Partnerships - to accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship in India.”

The Intel Higher Education Program bridges the gap between academia and industry standards to promote innovation and entrepreneurship and has reached more than 235,000 students and 4,500 faculty members across 550 institutions to date. Last year, Intel India announced the Intel Ph.D. Sponsorship Program to boost quality research and enhance Ph.D. programs across the country.

“The MyGov platform is designed to link government and citizens,” said Gaurav Dwivedi, CEO, MyGov. “We are proud to support this challenge by connecting the government with entrepreneurs and innovators to come forward with solutions made in India, for India.”