CKIE -crowd funding of design projects

CKIE was founded in 2010 by the creators of Yanko Design, it was named after the formula for creativity, C=f(K,I,E), which holds that creativity is function of knowledge (K), imagination (I), and evaluation (E). Designer can create a project, post it on web and consumers are invited to fund, in return the investor consumers get attractive bargains from the design creators. An interesting model- see the success stories.

Grand Challenges in Global Health 2011

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced Round 8 of its Grand Challenges Explorations, a $100 million grant initiative to encourage innovation in global health and development research. Proposals are being accepted through November 17, 2011 at 11:30 am Pacific Daylight Time. The initiative offers scientists, inventors, and entrepreneurs from around the world the opportunity to win $100,000 grants to pursue unconventional ideas that could transform health and agricultural development in the world’s poorest countries. The topics in this round are:

• Protect Crop Plants from Biotic Stresses From Field to Market
• Explore Nutrition for Healthy Growth of Infants and Children
• Apply Synthetic Biology to Global Health Challenges
• Design New Approaches to Optimize Immunization Systems
• Explore New Solutions in Global Health Priority Areas

The proposal process makes it easy to apply. The initiative uses a streamlined, straightforward, online grant-making process. Applications are two pages, and preliminary data about the proposed research are not required. Proposals are being accepted online at www.grandchallenges.org/explorations.

The Gates Foundation and an independent group of reviewers will select the most innovative proposals, and grants will be awarded within approximately four months from the proposal submission deadline. Initial grants will be $100,000 USD each. Projects showing success will have the opportunity to receive additional funding up to $1 million USD over two years.

Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

Boliven

Boliven is an online information portal for IP and  R&D professions providing access to scientific literature, patents and analystics. Boliven was acquired in May by Cambridge IP.
Take a shot: http://www.boliven.com/public/about_us

Innovation awards in Hyderabad pharma cluster

The Commissionerate of Industries, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Foundation for MSME Clusters (FMC), Bulk Drug Manufacturers Association of India [BDMA(I)], and Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council (Pharmexcil) launched Innovation Awards for MSMEs.The Award program is intended to acknowledge, reward, and celebrate the spirit of innovation among Andhra Pradesh based micro, small, and medium enterprises operate in drugs, pharmaceuticals and bio-pharmaceuticals spaces. The State level Award Program is envisaged to help innovative enterprises to get recognition among industry, peers, customers, consumers, government, and support-institutions. Unlike other innovation award programs that are shadowed by big-ticket innovations and large players, Innovation Awards for MSMEs acknowledges and rewards small-ticket but critically important incremental innovations.

Last  date: 10th October 2011. Contact: sourabh.gargav@msmefoundation.org

Innovating for More Affordable Health Care

This sponsored supplements is offered as free to download e book  by Stanford Social Innovation Review. Contains articles on scaling up remote patient monitoring, views of doctors, innovators, investors etc. 
URL;  http://stanford.ebookhost.net/ssir/digital/12/

Genetic and chemical fingerprinting of medicinal plants

 Characteristics, quantitative and qualitative traits and physical features in the organism are determined by DNA which regulates the production of specific proteins and enzymes through the central dogma of molecular biology, viz. DNA transcripts mRNA translates protein.


Young researcher Prashanth Suravajhala, founded Bioclues.org started a Biowiki project , identified till date 1400 medicinal plants and invites researchers to contribute , edit the content and mentor the students.
 

Indian Fund for Sustainable Energy (INFUSE)

The new fund, for supporting energy ventures, with BP , MNRE, TDB as partners and  managed by CIIE will be launched on 25th August 2011 at IIMA.

Lafarge Invention Awards 2011

The Lafarge Invention Awards aim to encourage and reward innovative projects related to

building materials and contributing to sustainable construction. Projects submitted should be

based on an invention less than 5 years old. They should involve a new product, industrial

process, construction method or service and should have reached at least the  prototype 

phase,ideally demonstrated in a real construction project. 

Projects will be judged on:

• their innovative nature
• their viability and economic impact
• their technical feasibility (with an existing prototype),
• and their contribution to sustainable construction.

Project submission will be via an on-line entry form, which will be available from September 1st.

URL: http://www.lafarge-inventionawards.com/index_en.html

contact:Zainab Kakal on zainab@niiticonsulting.com. 

Social Business Plan Competition -Wantrapreneur 2011

Wantrapreneur is the annual social business plan competition organized as a part of Unconvention to identify enterprises with market ready solutions in the start-up and early growth categories across agriculture & other sectors that can impact rural lives.Last date 30th September 2011. 


Track record: Skymet, a company incubated by Villgro, has successfully raised investment from Omnivore Capital for 33% of it's equity. Jatin Singh founded and promotes Skymet (http://www.skymet.net). Skymet works on weather forecasting in the subcontinent; they cater to the weather information needs of farmers, energy providers, print and visual media platforms. Skymet's partnerships with leading mobile data providers have resulted in millions of farmers now having on-demand access to real-time weather forecasts that are both highly accurate and localized.

India Resource Centre for Vision Impaired

India Resource Center Vision Impaired , promoted by TePP innovator MS Raju will be inaugurated  at Visakhapatnam on 23-08-2011. Resource Center is a permanent open-access exhibition/demo/training/ guidance facility to give advice, encouragement and technological help to vision impaired persons, students, parents and teachers. It provides guidance to students as well as parents on educational choices, on Integrated/Inclusive schools, and how to upgrade skills. It will provide sourcing information and recommendation on devices that help Vision Impaired. The centre will provide cybercafe facility for the Vision impaired with expert attendant guidance for browsing and emailing. 

Vision Impairment (Low Vision or Blindness) is not a disease but is a condition. It cannot be cured but has to be managed. This resource center which will showcase and guide on all techniques and devices that help Vision Impaired lead productive lives.

Some exhibits: 

A. For Low Vision- Near viewing devices- Bar Magnifiers, Handheld Magnifiers, Folding / Pocket Magnifiers, Illuminated Magnifiers, Stand Magnifiers, Stand Magnifiers with cut out for writing, Dome Magnifiers,Spectacle Magnifiers, Base-in Spectacles, Reading Stand, Table Lamp, Fresnel Magnifiers , CCTV (Camera Mouse) Camera Mouse Scan/Stand options

B. For Low Vision - Distance viewing devices-Handheld Telescope, Bio Optic Telescope Telescope , Spectacle Optima Distance Viewer, Pinhole Spectacles

C. For Low Vision- Living aids and household aid- Needle Threder Notex (Currency guide), Typoscope (Line writing guide), Signature Guide, Large font Calculator, Peack cap Spectacles & Colour filters, Amsler Chart

D. Devices for the Blind

E. Educational Devices and Information (for LV and Blind students, teachers & training institutions)

F. Knowhow for institutions desiring to serve Vision Impaired

G. Books and Documents 

H. Charts and Literature

J. Live Training Classes (-3 days a week)

K. Live Cybercafe for vision Impaired (Subject to Cybercafe regulations)

L. Certificate Courses

Contact:

Vision Aid Charitable Services Society

16-2-19, Official Colony, Vizag-2

Ph: 91 984949880, 91 9441968176

E-mail: vizag@visionaid.org

DEFTECH 2011

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in association with the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS) is organizing a Seminar & Exhibition on Defence Technology scheduled on 26-27 August 2011 at Manekshaw Auditorium, New Delhi, India.CENJOWS is the official think tank of HQ Integrated Defence Staff (HQIDS), Ministry of Defence, Government of India and represents all the three services.
For Exhibition related queries, please contact Mr Amit Kumar at amit.kumar@cii.in.  

Innovation for India Awards 2012

Marico Innovation Foundation has opened the entry process for its  4th edition of the Innovation for India Awards. Since the inception of the awards, 28 breakthrough innovations have been awarded. These include innovations from organizations such as Kirloskar Brothers, Titan, Tutor Vista, Goonj, Azim Premji Foundation, Trichy Police, Gujarat Government, amongst others.Last date of receiving entries is Friday, September 2nd, 2011.

5th International Conference on Anti-counterfeiting & Anti-Piracy

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), is organizing a two day International Conference on “Anti-Counterfeiting and Anti-Piracy “on 25-26 August 2011 at Coronet I & II; Hotel LeMeridien; Bangalore. Along with the conference there will be an exhibition of Anti-Counterfeiting/Anti-Piracy Technologies and exhibition of fake and original products.
For more details contact  Ms. Nabanita Mukherjee at nabanita.mukherjee@cii.in. (011-45772021) or Mr. Himmat Tandon at himmat.tandon@cii.in (011-45772023).

Tinkering lab at IIT Kanpur

Inspired by MIT's Fab lab concept and potential to unleash creativity, IIT Kanpur has set up its own version, called Tinkering Lab. Like in Fab Lab the lab is equipped with 3 D printing machine any student can walk in  with an idea and exit with a physical model. Tinkering lab is funded by DST and is housed in 4i Lab. 

IIT Kanpur incubates 30 start-ups

SIDBI Innovation & Incubation Centre (SIIC) graduated 16 start-ups and currently 14 are housed. Start-up IAITO received Green Award for their RFID based solar PV solution. IAITO delivers whole family of RFID solutions and their RFID 4 Port is state-of -art in the line.Weather Risk Management services is a pioneer supported by SIDBI Venture Capital and Ford Foundation. 

Indian Researchers embrace Intellectual Ventures

Economic Times carried article on student innovator Mayank Swarup of Manipal Institute of Technology. His patent was filed by Intellectual Ventures (IV). As per this report IV had tie-up with 8 universities including most IITs. What is the reach of IV and how much cash they disbursed to Indian researchers till date? IIT Kanpur has put in public domain the patents (11) filed through IV, all filed in the year 2010-2011.Is it reasonable to assume IV supported about 100 Indian patents and paid a million dollars to researchers/ institutes till now? 

OHIO ENERGY 2011

SkyQuest is leading a technology exploration mission from India to the US to‘OHIO ENERGY 2011 - Advanced Energy B2B Conference & Expo’ and those joining the mission get waiver on registration fee. Conference dates, September 14-15th, 2011.Ohio is leading the USA’s Great Lakes initiatives in offshore wind development, a major center for Solar and photovoltaics research in the U.S, one of the major U.S. centers for Fuel Cell research and development, home to some of the world's leading manufacturers, research institutions,   utilities and development organizations in Advanced Energy.
Contact:Ms. Kathak Mehta kathak.mehta@skyquestventures.com | 079-4005 4111
Ms. Neha Jhala neha.jhala@skyquestt.com | 079-4005 4110