Returns for `Freedom to Fail' Innovators grant

I had an opportunity to articulate my views on this subject at APIN conference on 6th August. What returns are expected for a government program like TePP? Government is an investor like angel investor, VC firm, Bank. Unlike those financial instruments, TePP gives money as grant, i.e free money. Also the beneficiary retains all rights on IP and technology commercialisation.

Is picking winners the aim of the program? Obviously not. There are other programs targeting Indian innovations for showcasing in global market.

TePP aims to cover risks so that more and more innovators actually take the risk.Then the question is -can mindset of millions be changed by providing grants to hundreds. This addresses the thin line dividing `private good' and `public good'. If innovators benefit from liberal government grant and keep all benefit to themselves, the grant works like a subsidy to few. On the other hand, if supported innovators, inspire and motivate many others, then there will be `public good' in the form of reduced risk aversion. How can that be done? Tipping point, viral impact are come of the concepts that show the way.

Hundreds of supported innovators can influence the minds of millions if they are capable, committed and communicative.

From my experience, I have found the last is the most important factor. The beneficiaries need to talk about their innovation, the TePP program and supportive eco-system of the nation to one and all, at all times. They need to be ambassadors of good will for government.

We cannot build a national eco-system in an environment characterised by negative thought and cynical views of government. Let us learn the art of paying back to society.

Maker Faire Africa

An exhibition showcasing African ingenuity is held in Ghana from 14-16th August. Some of those innovations can be seen on their site http://makerfaireafrica.com/

Technology offer for Infant warmer

Villgro in partnership with Dr. Sathya Jeganathan (Neo Natal Specialist at Chengalpetu Medical College Hospital) has developed a Low Cost, Low Maintenance Infant Warmer targeted at the Rural Healthcare System

They are interested in transferring the Technology and related Know How to an Entrepreneur for commercialisation of the Infant Warmer.

Contact:

Rajeev Surana (Senior Associate – Technology Transfer)

Villgro (formerly Rural Innovation Network)

20/6, Lakshmipuram, 2nd Street, Lloyds Road,

Royapettah, CHENNAI 600014 (India)

t: 91-44-28112108 Ext.32

m: 91-9381755790

rajeev@rinovations.org

www.rinovations.org

Miner Tracking system from CIMFR

Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CIMFR), Dhanbad, India with funding from Department of Information Technology (DIT), developed following wireless technologies first time in India:
(i) Miners’ tracking system,
(ii) Proximity warning system,
(iii) System for preventing vehicle collisions,
(iv) Route tracing system for opencast transport vehicles,
(v) System for providing warning signals when miner entering the unsafe area,
(vi) Underground gas monitoring system, and
(v) Message communication system.
The core system component is ZigBee-compliant active Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) device.
Contact for details and technology transfer:

Dr. L.K. Bandyopadhyay,

Scientist G,

Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research,

Barwa Road, Dhanbad – 826015, Jharkhand, India,

Telefax: +91-326-2296045,

Mob.: 09431145241

E-mail: laxmikb@yahoo.com

New model of M tech and PhD programs from CSIR

To meet the shortage of researchers , primarily in engineering, CSIR has taken an initiative to start its own training program. The 2 year post graduate program with 8 capsules has been announced. More are on the cards. The rational for CSIR getting into this space is that very few bright engineering students enroll for M Tech and PhD programs those few would either leave country or join MNC R&D centers. Very few IITians joined CSIR in the last decade. The pacakge offered by CSIR is attractive- they get paid during training and absorbed in CSIR after training. Scientists of CSIR labs like CEERI have been very active in supporting academeic activity and will now take additional responsibility. The pilot run attracted good response from students. Details:
http://www.csir.res.in/CSIR/csirpgrp/pgrtpe.htm

India leading Japanese in Automobile design!!!

Mahindra introduced Fuel smart system in October 2008. The press release states "The system is based on the simple principle of not burning fuel when it is not required. It automatically detects moments, during the drive, when the vehicle is idle and stops the engine. This conserves fuel, leading to reduced running costs, and also leads to reduced emissions. FuelSmart technology, thus, marks another innovative first by one of India’s leading auto companies". Much later Mazda introduced new generation car, which has iStop engine system described as "As a driver comes up to a stoplight, heavy traffic or anything that will halt forward progress, the clutch it depressed and the engine is then allowed to enter the paused mode.When it pauses, the combustion mixture is already in place and ready for ignition, so little or no help from the starter is needed. When the clutch is engaged again, the engine will automatically start in less than .35 seconds and be ready to provide power to get you moving again. While in the pause mode, a green indicator light will illuminate on the dash".

Infection fighting hospital designs

For long, hospital is known as main source of infection and Brits have taken lead to find solution. British NHS invited proposals from designers and the response was designs for several equipment that were easy to clean. Details at : http://inventorspot.com/articles/hospitals_30132

Subtractive Rapid Prototyping (SRP)

Giving `'form' to a new ` idea' is a critical phase in product concept generation and rapid prototyping is becoming less expensive with new generation printers leading the desk top digital fabrication trend. MDX 40A Milling machine is one such a new tool. Details at http://www.rolanddga.com/asd/products/milling/MDX40A/

Digital Open competition for youth

Digital Open is an online community and competition for global youth below 17 years. Submit proposal at http://digitalopen.org/home

India Innovation Pioneers Challenge 2009 (IIPC)

IIPC , a collaborative work of Indo US Science & Technology Forum, INTEL and DST was launched in 2007. This years competition in Scholar Sparks category attracted 122 entries and 18 teams were shortlisted for presentation on 14th July in Bangalore. Champion of Champion category attracted 15 entries and 8 teams were selected for presentation on 15th July in Bangalore.

Marico `Innovation for India 2010 awards'

For this year’s awards, Marico invites innovations from across India in Business, Business leveraging social, Social and Governance sectors. Within the Business category, innovations can be in the form of Product, Process, Service and Business Model. The Social domain would include innovations impacting health, education and poverty. The Public Service Category includes all innovations where the Central or State government or any wing of the government including public-private partnership has innovated.

All those who have successfully innovated in any of the above domains over the last 5 years and would like to apply for the awards, may please complete the attached application form or visit http://www.maricoinnovationfoundation.org/Innovation_for_India_Awards_2010.pdf. You may also send it to awards@erehwonconsulting.com

For any clarification you may call Chhavi Goyal on tel on 080- 40535000 or cell no +91 9740258132. Last date for sending in entries is 30 September 2009.

Fab5 Digital Fabrication symposium in Pune

The Fifth International Fab Lab Forum and Symposium on Digital Fabrication will be be held in Pune from 16th to 21st August 2009. See
details at:
http://cba.mit.edu/events/meetings.html

http://cba.mit.edu/events/09.08.FAB5/

http://fabfoundation.org

Venue: College of Engineering, Pune

Innovator Michael Jackson

MJ is known for many things- also as innovator, who invented and patented "system for allowing a shoe wearer to lean forwardly beyond his center of gravity by virtue of wearing a specially designed pair of shoes" (US patent5,255,452). A heel slot in the shoes gets hitched to retractable pegs in a stage floor. Wearing the shoes, Jackson (or anyone) could seem to lean past his center of gravity without toppling. The effect would be most striking in live performances, during which harnesses and wires would be too cumbersome or impossible to disguise.
Source: USA Today

Global Security Challenge Competition 2009

GSC is now accepting applications in `Most promising security idea'.
The award is designed to support and promote researchers, infant companies (with no revenue), and any other inventors who just have an idea for a security solution.The winners of this category will receive: $10,000 cash grant, sponsored by Accenture.

The awarding ceremony for the Most Promising Security Idea will take place at the Security Summit of the Global Security Challenge held at London Business School on November 13, 2009. Eligible entrants must be a company, or one or more individuals, whose idea did not generate revenue in 2008. Deadline for Submissions: September 1, 2009 at 11.59 GMT.

Enter by using online submission system

`Public' funds for `Private' R&D

Providing grants / soft loans/ risk capital to `for profit' organisations by government agencies is based more on personal conviction than consensus or empirical data. Read this analysis ` What difference do IWT R&D grants make for their clients'. This study is path breaking, it moves away from out put/ out come to behavior additionality. They rightly pointed that evaluation of R&D projects with focus only on output will induce government agencies to select low risk, short term projects. More important from national perspective are the behavioural changes, the spin offs that linger on after completion of funded project. Also read my paper at SSRN on the same topic.

analytica Anacon India

The fifth analytica Anacon India, the international trade fair and conference for analytical instrumentation, biotechnology, laboratory technology and services, will be held in Hyderabad from September 29 to October 1. It features a portfolio of exhibits addressing the analysis, laboratory-technology, diagnostics and biotechnology sector in India. (Source: pharmabiz)

Technium Challenge International

Technium Challenge International is organised by the Welsh Assembly Government’s International Business Wales (IBW) team in selected countries overseas. The annual international business planning competition provides opportunities for companies looking to establish a foothold within the Europe and UK marketplace.Two Indian technology companies, Lifecare Innovations and Oriental Aquamarine Biotech, are among the five companies selected for the final round of Technium Challenge International.
Both these technology ventures received support from Ministry of Science & Technology. Scientists Dr Jitendra Verma and IS Bright Singh, showed that India may be difficult country to start a technology venture but rewards are certain after initial struggle.
Source: webnewswire

Open Innnovation invitation: Rapid and accurate Analysis of Alignment and Arthritis Grading from Digital Radiographs of Lower Limbs and Knees

Current imaging systems are limited by lack of precision. The imprecision relates to how the images are obtained (positional errors) and imaging errors (due to parallax and distortion). The level of imprecision before surgery for Joint Replacement makes the choice of implants to fit the arthritic joint unreliable. One consequence of this is the major accumulation of implant inventories in the Operating Room (OR). Another may be less than desirable implant match and a poorer functional result.

TePP on behalf of OASYS invites proposals from Indian innovators to develop software that acquires images of limb geometry, join size and arthritis grading in an automated way.

Permitting researchers to own equity stake in spin-offs without leaving job

Following the approval of cabinet, DSIR has released formal circular on this subject. See:
http://www.dsir.gov.in/circulars/knowledge_equity_om_25may2009.pdf

For researcher start-ups, funds are also available under TePP. Several faculty from IISc and IIT Mumbai have taken the plunge. Is it now the turn of CSIR scientists??

AcceleratorIndia and Sanshadow Consultants (Pvt) Ltd. Announce UK-India Strategic Partnership

AcceleratorIndia, based in Cambridge, UK and Sanshadow Consultants (Pvt) Ltd., based in Delhi, India have announced a strategic alliance , bringing together Sanshadow’s IP expertise with AcceleratorIndia’s expertise, experience, global networks and relationships. Under this agreement, AcceleratorIndia and Sanshadow will work together on a select portfolio of Indian innovations with strong and defensible IP and international market potential to build global businesses.

TePP RPI 2-HDVSL based printing stack

TePP on behalf of a start-up invites proposals from innovators to Develop a low cost HDVSL based printing stack. The selected Innovator will be licensed HDVSL stack. Initially a printing shop or lab version or enterprise version should be made to avoid tooling cost. Once perfected, the technology can be taken to make really compact printers which can be carried in laptop bags and battery powered.

Innovators interested in developing this application based on a disruptive technology may write giving details of their relevant capabilities, action plan, budget ,time frame etc. For technical

details on HDVSL stack, contact

shm.cheekotel@gmail.com, shm.cheekotel@gmail.com

ASME's Innovation Showcase (IShow)

ASME's Innovation Showcase (IShow) provides a platform for top collegiate student teams to compete for seed money to commercialize their idea. The IShow was founded in collaboration with the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) and the Idea to Product (I2P) competition at the University of Texas, Austin. Six teams were selected this year. Nithin Rajan of Houstan is among the selected for their innovation BlueScale. Focus areas- Health, energy, water seem to be common among all student innovations in US and in India.

Sudha Cars Museum

Sudha Cars Museum is the first and only handmade Wacky Car museum in the World. It is the brainchild of Mr. K. Sudhakar, a Guinness World Record Holder for making the Largest Tricycle in theWorld. Mr. Sudhakar, got hooked on to this hobby right from his school days. At the age of 14 he first designed a bicycle and the very next year at the age of 15 he made his first ‘Easy Rider Motorbike’. He tried his hands on a four-wheeler when he was studying in Intermediate II year and created a rugged looking ‘Dune Buggy’.
See Video at:http://www.indiavideo.org/andhrapradesh/travel/sudha-car-museum-hyderabad-2524.php#R

WEF Technology Pioneers 2009

The Technology Pioneers 2009 included two Indian IT firms, Nivio and ngpay.
Nivio is the first hosted Windows desktop. This technology provides a new way to access modern
computing and extends the life of equipment for people who already own computers.
Ngpay, now branded India’s largest “mall on the mobile”, has more than 250,000 users, who are
transacting with more than 65 businesses across 10 sectors, for banking, shopping, entertainment and bill payment.

Compressed air car from Tata Motors

Tata Motors turns strategic investor in new technologies by entering into partnership with MDI, France for producing small cars run by compressed air. Traditionally Indian firms entered into technology license agreements to locally produce a car or other product , which is in regular production currently or in the past in licensor's country. In this case, the technology is still in the introduction stage prior to emergence of a dominant design. R&D portfolio of Tata Motors is now a classic case with developments aimed at product extensions, co development of new concepts like compressed air cars and also investing heavily in directed applied research.

Enercon systems

Enercon systems is in news with acquisition by Schneider Electric, a French electrical equipment major. As a start-up , the firm received funding from DSIR in 90's under PATSER.The first demo project was set up at Vasavadatta cements for centralised electrical energy system with government support. Later they received funding and mentoring support from Indus Ventures.

Always wonder why Indian firms do not acknowedge support received from government at critical stage of their growth?

Clean-India

Four new graduates of the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business have devised a way of cleaning up the water in Tirupur, India. Ravi Yekula, Baijnath Ramraika, Matt Dixon and Charles Ransler hatched Clean-India, a company aimed at water detoxification used by large textile companies during the dyeing process.Clean-India has created a bioreactor, a device that cultivates the type of algae that feeds on water pollutants, to combat the problem. The bioreactor operates in a closed-loop system, which allows Clean-India to generate its own source of algae to feed on pollutants.
Source: IndUs Business Journal

WORLDDIDAC INDIA

WORLDDIDAC INDIA is the first event in the region for Educational Material, Training and Technology based solutions for all levels and sectors of the Indian Education Industry. The International Exhibition aims at addressing the growing demand for these products & solutions in the Indian Subcontinent and is scheduled from 24 - 26 September, 2009 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India.Worlddidac also gives awards for educational products. Eureka.in is a high end 3D educational software, developed by Designmate (I) Pvt. Ltd. It has been adjudged as "Outstanding example of E-content and one of the winners in the e-Learning category" by the World Summit 2007 at Venice.

Inventors of Tomorrow Competition

Intel and Times of India are organising this idea competition. Idea should be unique and capture the personal vision of applicant about how technology can help enable a better tomorrow for all. Winner gets an all expenses paid (for two) trip to California. last date 5th July 2009.

Prithviraj Chavan

In new government, Prithviraj Chavan was handed over the most number of portfolios. Besides being MoS in the PMO, Chavan is MoS (independent charge) for personnel, public grievances and pensions, a portfolio which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had kept with himself in the previous government. He is also MoS (independent charge) for parliamentary affairs, science and technology and earth sciences.

Prithviraj Chavan has a B.E. (Hons.) from BITS, Pilani (Rajasthan) and also a M.S. from University of California, Berkeley (U.S.A.).

DFJ-Cisco Global B-plan competition

The last date for submission is June 12. The winners of the India round will represent India, and if selected to the final round will have to make a presentation on June 30. This presentation will be coordinated by Cisco using Cisco Telepresence centers. The winner of the event gets a prize of $250,000.

Students interested may contact:

Anurakt Jain, Draper Fisher Jurvetson India, Pranava Park,16 Infantry Road, Bangalore 560001, India, Mobile: +91 99800 71237, anurakt@dfj.com

QPrize from Qualcom Ventures

Qualcomm Incorporated launched a global business plan competition to promote innovation in the wireless industry. The Qualcomm Ventures QPrize™ competition is open to entrepreneurs in North America, Europe, China and India and will provide US$550,000 in total seed funding to help entrepreneurs transform their innovative business plans into reality.QPrize competition is open to international entrants whose business plans accelerate wireless technology development in the following business sectors:

· Consumer/enterprise applications and services
· Communication devices
· Semiconductor and component technologies
· Mobile platforms
· Digital media and content
· Healthcare technologies and services
· CleanTech

The deadline for business plan submissions is July 31, 2009
For details http://www.qualcomm.com/ventures/qprize/

TRIZ workshop by Crafitti

Craffitti is organising TRIZ workshop in Delhi on 6th May 2009. This work shop is offered in partnership with RCSC.

Patent analytics in measuring innovation in India

The 2009 Thomson Reuters Innovation Award went to Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd and Sterlite Technologies Ltd in the Life Sciences and Corporate Services categories respectively for their achievements through patented technology as recorded in data from Thomson Innovation, the premier IP research and analysis solution from Thomson Reuters. The background paper using patent analytics to select the winners can be downloaded from:
http://scientific.thomsonreuters.com/press/pdf/innovationresearch.pdf.

Sankalp awards 2009

The Sankalp 2009 Growth Awards for Education were won by Elements Akademia, a chain of finishing schools (training & placement) and IL&FS Education &Technology Services. The Emerging Award for Healthcare was won by Biosense Technologies, Growth award to Vaatsalya and the High Impact to TanClean. Details:
http://www.sankalpforum.com/

ITAG Business Solutions Ltd

ITAG Business Solutions Ltd. based in Kolkata is a Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) and Legal Process Outsourcing (LPO) Company. It is a subsidiary of TCI Finance Ltd, promoted by the GATI group. Institute of International Trade is their knowledge partner.

Innovations for Small Business

Technology obsolescence coupled with economic recession is taking heavy toll of small technology ventures. TePP can help them in 2 ways:

1. If the promoter is innovative, he/ she can avail TePP funds to come with new designs.
2. If the business owner is clear only about the problem , then he/she can invite proposals from independent innovators. That is what large companies from P&G to Google do. TePP Open innovation portal facilitates this outsourcing of R&D.
Any takers?

TePP Open Innovation Network: TePP/002/2009

TePP on behalf of CSIR invites proposals from innovators interested in developing derivative products for different applications using Solakshaw drive train as technology platform. The proposal invited is for Prototype development for products other than passenger carrying rickshaw. Financial support will be extended to selected innovators under TePP Phase-1 norms. Details of TePP are available on this portal and also on DSIR web site www.dsir.gov.in . The maximum support permissible under TePP phase-1 is Rs15 lakhs. The support can be utilized for development and manufacture of prototypes for testing at CMERI.

Innovators interested may submit proposal, initially as soft copy to asrao@nic.in. The proposal should highlight innovative merit along with application as per prescribed TePP Phase I TPF application format.

TePP Open Innovation Network: Request TePP/001/2009

TePP on behalf of CSIR invites proposals from entrepreneurs interested in taking license for manufacture and supply of Solakshaws (Electrical rickshaw with solar charging facility) in different part of the country. The proposal invited is for Business Delivery Innovation for rapid product diffusion. Financial support will be extended to selected entrepreneurs under TePP Phase-11 norms.The maximum support permissible under TePP phase-11 is Rs 45 lakhs or 50% of approved project cost which ever is lower. The support can be utilized for implementation of innovative delivery model on pilot scale. Entrepreneurs interested may submit proposal, initially as soft copy to asrao@nic.in. The proposal should include Business Plan along with application as per prescribed TePP Phase II S3T application format.

Brightidea products

Brightidea offers idea management tools such as Brightidea platform, WebStorm, Switchboard & Pipeline. For a demo contact
http://www.brightidea.com/products-schedule-demo.bix

Kenyan anti-counterfeit Act

The drugs that saved lives of several HIV infected people in Africa are now banned with this Kenyan legislation. See editorial in Financial Expres

Making Breakthrough Innovation Happen

Making Breakthrough Innovation Happen-How 11 Indians Pulled Off The Impossible. It is title of new book released by Harpercollins. authored by Porus Munshi, partner consultant at Erehwon Innovation Consulting.

i2india announces awards to innovators

i2india announces Innovations Awards of Rs 2 lacs each Up to 10 awards for innovative technologies with the best potential for Commercialisation. This award is open to all Scientists & research Institutes. To apply contact awards@i2indiaventures.com

KhojIndia

KhojIndia is India's new channel with dedicated timings for S&T. It is a free channel. Tune in to:

INSAT-4A, Longitude- 83 degree east,Frequency 3756 mhz,

Symbol rate 13.33 msps, Polaraisation- horizontal,

FEC-3/4, Modulation –QPSK

Summer school on Creativity & Innovation

This summer school is organised by Elephantversity between 25th May to 31st May 2009 in Pune. Contact:

Hrridaysh Deshpande, Elephantversity Institute of Innovation, 13 Kumar Srushti, Survey No. 1 , Pashan NDA Road, Pune 411 021,Maharashtra, India, Tel.: +91 - 20-22951055/59, 22951160 / 61,Fax: +91 - 20-22951055, Mobile: +91 – 0 - 9921378687,Web: www.elephantversity.com

Patents.com

Patents.com comprehensive worldwide source of searchable indexed patent pages available in 15 native language.It’s a source for patent data, analytic tools and provides a hosted community platform enabling users to connect to generate business opportunities, including the licensing/sale of patents .

Patent of Somasundaram Ramkumar

Indian drugs in transit seized in Europe to avoid possible patent infringement, Indian roses confiscated in Europe for not paying royalty to plant breeders, Indian watches denied exhibition space on allegations of Design in copy right violations- we heard them all. Now, for the first time, we are hearing an Indian patent holder , Somasundaram Ramkumar of Madurai, using the same tool to seize import of mobiles with multiple SIMs. Read the patent claims at
http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?wo=2003075543

And keep in touch at SPICY IP

Green Talents International Forum

In February 2009, the German Federal Ministry of Research and Education has launched an initiative to invite talented young researchers from throughout the world to visit the leading environmental technology location Germany. The 'Green Talents' competition under the patronage of Research Minister Dr. Annette Schavan addresses excellent young researchers and engineering scientists in the field of environmental technologies to apply for participation in the 'International Forum for High Potentials in Green Technologies'.The International Forum will take place in August/September 2009. For one week, the selected participants will travel through Germany, visit leading universities, research institutes and companies, gather specific information about research activities on site and learn about the possibilities of cooperating with German partners. Individual meetings with experts and the presentation of their own research will be part of the forum - as well as a cultural program and a meeting with Minister Dr. Annette Schavan as a special highlight.APPLY NOW for a seat on the Green Talents International Forum. Application deadline 31st May 2009. Further information

http://www.research-in-germany.de/greentalents

Sankalp 2009 awards

Sankalp 2009 awards, for investible, social MSMEs will be given on 28th April at taj Lands End, Mumbai. See the program details at:
http://www.sankalpforum.com/index.php

Australian Design awards

Solaqua is a water disinfection unit to be used in rural sub-Saharan Africa. It utilises ultra-violet and infra-red rays from the sun to eliminate pathogens within contaminated water. Raw water is first passed through a sari cloth filter to improve efficiency of solar water disinfection (SODIS). A five tap funnel fills five specially designed bottles to obtain ten litres of water. By spreading and laying the bottles on the ground, the transparent bottle surface allows maximum exposure to UV rays. The black, back surface of each bottle absorbs heat, while reflective inner surfaces reflect UV rays within the water itself.
This is one of the finalist of Australian Design Awards. Design is Mr Jason Lam

IITB TechConnect 2009

In the Golden Jubilee year of IIT Bombay, its Industrial Research and Consultancy Center (IRCC) has taken an initiative to celebrate the institute's best technological achievements.Techconnect is showcase of research capability and mature innovations and coming out of IIT Bombay. It will be held on 4th April 2009. See list of technologies available for transfer at
http://www.ircc.iitb.ac.in/IRCC-Webpage/technologies.html

The EconomistInnovation Awards

Economist Innovation Awards celebrate outstanding innovators in the following categories:

Bioscience: includes pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and agriculture

Business processes: enabling compounds, products, technologies or methodologies which underpin product discovery, design, or manufacturing, as well as fulfillment processes

Energy and the environment: includes energy, transportation, automotive

Social and economic innovation: novel technologies and business models that improve everyday lives (eg, microcredit)

Computing and telecommunications: includes hardware, software, security, telecommunications

Consumer products and services: may include the product, process, media or design

“No boundaries”: technology-based products or services that don't fit neatly into any of the above categories (this includes materials science, nanotechnology and other emerging fields, eg, blue-violet laser)

Criteria for selection

Nominees should be people, not companies, who are responsible for an innovation that has been a proven success in the past decade. Winners are selected based on their ideas':

• Impact on revenue of the nominee's sponsoring organisation, enterprise, or general economic or societal well-being

• Effect on a marketplace or the establishment of a new market; and

• Impact on an emerging branch of science and technology

Nomination process

Nominations are solicited from three sources: a distinguished panel of judges; Economist editors and writers; and Economist readers.

Nominations for the 2009 awards are now open and will be accepted until April 9th. Nominations from readers may be submitted by sending an e-mail or Word document to innovation@economist.com. Submissions should include the name, contact information, and current affiliation of the nominee. Submissions should explain in 200 words or less why the nominee should receive the award.

X Prize- Jackpot for Innovation

The practice of posting rewards for invention goes back centuries, but the California-based X Prize Foundation upped the ante in 1996, when it offered the biggest such reward in history—$10 million—for the first successful private space flight. Today the foundation is developing prizes of up to $30 million for solutions to outsized challenges in space exploration, life sciences, energy, the environment, education, and social entrepreneurship. Read interview with X Prize CEO Pater H Daimandis in HBR. Future X prizes include Village Utility X prize to develop/ diffuse technology based innovations for improved ways to deliver water, power, connectivity to rural areas.

The March Madness for the Mind

The March Madness for the Mind Exhibition is a celebration of student E-Team innovation and entrepreneurship. Each year, top E-Teams (collaborating groups of college students, faculty and industry mentors) showcase their work in a science or technology museum during NCIIA's annual meeting, many unveiling their cutting-edge innovations to the public for the first time. Business Week carried a slide presentation of the finalists, many of them focused on developing country markets.

HYBRID RDBMS for Mine Safety

Jayaseelan, who worked as Senior Director at FICCI started his entrepreneurial journey by developing applications using HRDMS architecture. The first application, Indian Mines Safety Information System (IMSIS) is now fully operational at DGMS connecting coal mines located at Dhanbad, Sitrampur, Ranchi, Koderma, Bhubaneshwar, Nagpur, Jabalpur, Bilaspur and Hyderabad. Read full story at Dataquest.

Open Courseware in MOT

Business Schools and other institutions offering courses in subjects like Management of Technology, Innovation Management can use Open Course ware offered by Indian Innovators Association. For an overview see:
http://www.indianinnovatorsforum.org/e-learning.htm

India Innovation Initiative

India Innovation Initiative or “i3 is joint initiative of Agilent, DST & CI.

i3 aims to create an innovation eco-system in the country by sensitizing, encouraging and promoting innovators and facilitating the commercialization of the innovations. Entries for innovation based projects are invited from all innovators in India, above 18 years of age. Topic for the year 2009 is “Technology Innovation for Masses and Global Impacts”.The last date for sending the entries is 30th April 2009

Renewable Energy Search

Renewable Energy Search is an endeavor by CIIE (IIM Ahmedabad) and MNRE (Government of India) to identify, encourage and incubate entrepreneurial ideas aimed at solving the energy crisis through use of existing clean energy related research. Support is available for Start-ups, Entrepreneur In Residence (EIR) and for Innovators. For details: http://www.re-search.in/

GE Edison 2008 winners

The GE Edison challenge had attracted over 350 entries from over 100 colleges. And 17 of the pre finalists made their presentations on November 6th culminating in the grand finale on the 7th of November where two teams were declared the winners and runners up.Vasuki Prasad, Rupan Sarkar, Rahul Sharma, Gaurav Barman and Pranab Purkayastha, from MIT, Manipal presented Train Informatics to emerge the winners of the first GE Edison Challenge and bagged Rs 5 lakhs.The runners-up, Jitendra Kumar, Vishal Garg and Manish Parmar from IIT Kharagpur were runners-up for self-cooling engines with Rs.2 lakh prize money.

Collaborative Innovations with Honeywell

HTSL supports collaborative innovation through knowledge based non-cash venturing. Support includes:

• providing mentorship and problem statemnets
• providing infrastructural support
• identifying potential applications
• supporting pilots in Honeywell areas of interest
• providing guidance to scale-up.

Innovators in following areas can contact Honeywell.

• energy & environment
• security & safety
• health care
• telematics
• smart materials
• building automation
• traffic management
• industrial automation
• agriculture
• water management
• remote mgmt of infrastructure

Contact:
Harsha Ramesh Angeri
Director-Strategy & Initiatives
Honeywell Technology Solutions Lb Pvt Ltd
harsha angeri at honeywell.com

TR 35-call for nomintions

Nominations invited for Technology Review 35 young technology ventures. Last date -31st March 2009.Established in 1999 as the TR100, the TR35 list recognizes 35 outstanding innovators under the age of 35 each year. The awards span a wide range of fields, including biotechnology, materials, computer hardware, energy, transportation, and the Internet.To view profiles of all past winners, please see Technology Review's website at www.technologyreview.com/tr35/.

iAccelerator

Applications accepted for 2009 edition of iAccelerator at IIM ,Ahmedabad. Last date is April 1st. It is an intensive start-up assistance program with campus training of 4 month from May 1st to Sept 1st.