Inclusive Innovation Ecosystem

35th Webinar Organised by i-Hub 08th May, 2020

Speaker: Mr N P Rajive, Vice Chair Person, National Innovation Foundation

Moderator: Shri M Nagarajan, IAS, Director, Higher Education 

The objective of the webinar is to support all students of Gujarat with the idea of Mind to Market OR idea to POC (proof of concept).

Topics of discussion: 

• Role of NIF for supporting entrepreneurs: Inclusive innovation ecosystem: That means, "any innovation that leads to affordable accessibility of quality goods or services".  Affordable accessibility is very important, and which helps creating livelihood. Essence of the inclusive innovation - Innovator cannot be alone, he should part of scientific communities

• 4 pillars of this inclusive innovation ecosystem:

1)Knowledge institutions 2) Government support 3) Private sector 4) Civil society

• Components to help or nurture inclusive innovation ecosystem:

1) Technology 2) Business process 3) Work flow 4) Delivery system 5) Research process 6) Grassroots / Societal activity

• NIF is primary institute in India, focussed on Grassroots innovation, for the people who don’t have formal education, but they want to solve problem with traditional knowledge. It started with vision of nurturing Grassroots innovation, documenting those ideas, and also how to make those innovations to public by commercialization.

• Also help to get IP (intellectual property) rights to innovator. To commercialize ideas to business - we help them to disseminate the technology with stakeholders

• 3,50,000 ideas/innovation documented by NIF so far, 1190 Patents filled by NIF till now, 1100 technologies have been validated, 238 project supported under scheme called 'micro-venture innovation fund' 

• Set up 'NIF incubation and entrepreneur council'- to support who are venturing into innovation and start-up

• Conducted 61 community fabrication workshops in rural areas of 23 states. Transferred 120 technology into market. Some innovators also received and awarded with "Padma Shree award”

• NIF supports Grassroots innovators and student innovators. Till now supported +2, ITI and polytechnic background. Now revising the mandate to extend it to higher education, Expanded the mandate to everyone with formal education person as well

• Now on Inviting people from various academic institute to be part of NIF with vision of Grassroots innovation - This is major change in mandate of NIF. India has currently 53rd position of International innovation index. Which was 80/85 position 5 years back. Most popular activity of NIF is "inspire" award - giving award to 60 best national innovative ideas from student. Last year 1 lacs student attended various sessions, total 10 lacs student a=overall and sorted to 1000 in final national level.

• Challenges faced by innovation - how to convert idea into venture. Academic faculties can support NIF in various ways - like research project. Digital technology helps lot for commercialization. Mentor/consultant can help support to start up /innovators Academia can help in research. Innovator may not be good entrepreneur, but with the help of these stakeholder it’s possible to achieve.

• The purpose of community fabrication workshop: Lot of innovative people in remote rural areas with good ideas, they can’t come to Gandhinagar to work on idea, So NIF come up with the idea that giving facility at their village with the help of local ITIs etc. Every year NIF invites students for internship to work with innovator. One can login on NIF website, and post it there

• NIF has 4 or 5 technology focussed areas, such as agriculture, healthcare etc. our idea should fall into these thematic vertical. They welcome almost every areas and are open to any type of ideas. we can post our idea on their website, that’s the first step. NIF funds for micro venture, already supported 500 entrepreneurs. Have separate company for it.

• Institutions are mostly working in isolation, so now they have to change motto to working together. With specific area of agenda, we can work together.

• Key attribute to become an innovator: Innovation is simple thing, if you are trying to get solution out of the box or not conventional, that qualifies to innovative ideas. Even if it in high end technology, the core element is innovative idea which disrupt conventional thought. Whichever ideas changing the way by less resources and fullfill the need of society. Lot of Grassroots innovation, comes from compulsion of life. 

• We can collect information of all principles and bring them to NIF Gandhinagar. With the help of commissioner of higher education. To know what’s happening from ground. Trip to NIF will be very helpful. It can work as bridge between these institute. 

• Any person without gender bias, any person with societal mindset can contribute work together for inclusive innovation.