Maker Village comes under NIDHI-PRAYAS programme

In a big boost to the startup ecosystem in Kerala, the Centre has brought the electronic design and innovation hub Maker Village here under the ambit of NIDHI-PRAYAS programme.

Under the programme, financial grants of up to Rs 10 lakh and lab equipment support for early stage hardware startups to pursue their ideas would be provided, a release from the Maker Village said Monday.

PRAYAS - Promoting and Accelerating Young and Aspiring technology entrepreneurs- is a flagship programme under NIDHI - the National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI).

NIDHI had been conceived by the Department of Science and Technology as an umbrella programme for nurturing knowledge-based and technology-driven ideas and innovations into successful startups.

The PRAYAS Centre to come up at the Maker Village would help young innovators turn their ideas into proof-of-concepts, the release said.

This is a real Nidhi (treasure) for Maker Village. Enterprising aspirants can now tap the benefit of this programme to pursue their ideas, it said.

A well-equipped and furnished space of about 5000 sq ft is being set up at Maker Village for the commencement of the PRAYAS centre.

The Maker Lab, coming up at the centre, will enable innovators to go through a cycle of imagination, design, prototyping, reflection, and iteration as a part of process to find solutions to challenges or bring their ideas to reality.

Each selected early stage innovator could avail a maximum grant amount of Rs 10 lakh to facilitate the conversion of their ideas to proof- of-concept stage.

Innovators in the age bracket of 18-35 were eligible to apply for the scheme and the last date for submitting the application was January 25, the release added.