Intel, DST launch incubation programme

IIM Ahmedabad's Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship will manage the programme

Intel in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology (DST) announced the 'Innovate for Digital India' challenge on Friday. The challenge aims to create products which will help in increasing technology adoption in India. 

IIM Ahmedabad's Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) will manage the programme. 

Applications will be accepted till January 2016; the top 20 teams will be taken through an accelerator programme and will receive grants Rs 2 lakh; the top ten teams will get development grants of ~5 lakh each, taken through a 'go-to-market' and ‘pilot launch' phases, followed by an investment showcase.

Launching the challenge in the same week as 50-year celebration of Moore's Law --- named after the founder Gordon Moore --- Debjani Ghosh, vice-president, sales and marketing group and managing director said, “Innovation is a part of Intel's DNA. This challenge will combine our history of game-changing innovation and world class technology with the government's bold Digital India vision and the immense entrepreneurship talent in the country to create a sustainable tech ecosystem that is innovating for India.” 
 

The challenge attempts to foster innovation from a grassroot level and aims to bring technology to every Indian household. The applications for the same will be open to aspiring and existing entrepreneurs, innovators, academia, designers, engineers among others. Intel will provide assitance in terms of technical know-how, access to product kits and infrastructure, and commercialisation oppurtunities. It also aims to encourage the creation of intuitive, easy-to-use solutions that can increase access to critical services imperative for development. 
 

The challenge has been designed in collaboration with DST with support from Department of Electronics and Information Technology, MyGov.in and will be managed by Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad's Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship. 
 

It will run from April 2015 through January 2016 and total grants worh Rs. 1.5 crore will be awarded along with a Rs. 20-lakh seed fund for each of the top three innovations. There will be five stages of this challenge --- application, accelerator program, go-to-market, pilot launch and the final investments and showcase stage.  The applicants can log on to www.innovatefordigitalindia.intel.in for registering themselves.