Awards of Rs 15 lakh for young techno innovators

Awards of Rs 15 lakh for young techno innovators .Have an innovative idea for a device that could provide solution to a medical issue? Then you stand to win a grant of Rs 15 lakh! To promote cost-effective innovations in the field of medicine and biotechnology, a government collaboration is awarding several grants worth 15 lakh rupees each to young innovators who can come with solutions to many

day-to-day problems. Students from school level up to the doctoral level and grass-root innovators can apply for SRISTI-BIRAC GYTI awards by December 30, 2016. Winners will be awarded at the 'Festival of Innovations' at Rashtrapati Bhavan in March, 2017.

The competition is being organised by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a government of India enterprise, and Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions (SRISTI) to promote frugal innovations in the field of medicine and biotechnology. 

"Fifteen students will get a grant of 15 lakh rupees each for development of the idea or a prototype related to medical or biotechnology field," Professor Anil K Gupta, said President Sristi. 

"In addition to this, 100 grass-root innovators will get one lakh rupees each for value addition at different labs," Gupta said. 

Terming lab innovations and grass-root innovations equally important to create a healthy nation, Dr Renu Swarup, Managing Director, BIRAC said, "India, being a developing nation has problems, which are specific to our country." 

"Solutions that work pretty well in other parts of the world may not always be the best for us. Medical innovation is expected to come up with feasible solutions for such Indian problems," Swarup said. "Devices, Diagnostics, drugs and vaccines, all require medical innovation equally," she said. 

Applicants can submit their entries at gyti.techpedia.in for SRISTI-BIRAC GYTI awards. Gupta noted that the aim of this competition is to make the country independent in the fields of medicine and biotechnology. 

"Devices in hospitals are often imported and expensive. Since these hospitals are in cities only, dwellers of remote areas are unable to receive their benefits," he said. 

"To expand the reach of public health-care system up to small towns and villages, hand held medical devices should be developed, so that at least diagnosis in remote areas can be made easier. 

"These handy devices can take vital readings, like ECG and BP, which can be sent to doctors in cities. This can be very helpful in diagnosis and reducing the hardships of people," Gupta added. 

Last year's winners included a student team from Kerala which came up with the "Automatic Urine and Fecal Disposal System" idea to help bedridden patients or older people who struggle to walk up to the toilet. 

Swarup expressed hope that this competition will enthuse young scientists to set up their own enterprise and create medical startups.