The DST-Lockheed Martin India Innovation Growth Programme gave away 15 gold medals to budding Indian entrepreneurs for their impactful innovations in the field of aeronautics, agriculture, biotechnology, chemistry, communications, computing defence, electronics, environment, IT, manufacturing, marine, materials, medical/life sciences, nanotechnology, etc

The best among the best of engineers, inventors, scientists, entrepreneurs, researchers working across diverse sectors throughout India gathered in New Delhi for the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Lockheed Martin India Innovation Growth Programme (IIGP) award ceremony. They are entrepreneurs, innovators, mentors and as rightly said by Arabinda Mitra, Executive Director, Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (US S&T Forum) they are not job seekers but job creators who can create a Silicon Valley in the Indus Valley.

On May 20, the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) along with DST, Indo-US S&T Forum, Lockheed Martin Corporation and the IC2 Institute at the University of Texas at Austin gave away gold medals to 15 Indian entrepreneurs for their impactful innovations which can bring sea changes in the lives of the people. The winners were selected by a project team comprising subject matter experts from the IC2 Institute, University of Texas, and FICCI from about 394 applicants of which 60 innovative technologies from a wide range of sectors such as aeronautics, agriculture, biotechnology, chemistry, communications, computing defence, electronics, environment, IT, manufacturing, marine, materials, medical/life sciences, nanotechnology, petrochemical, semi-conductors and transportation were selected in the first phase.

The award ceremony was organised following a three-day workshop conducted on Commercialisation Strategies for Entrepreneurs which resulted in the selection of top 30 innovative technologies. In the second phase of the selection process, the selected 30 were given advanced training in technology commercialisation strategies, venture formation, venture finance, technology marketing, competitive technical strategies, venture formation, venture finance, technology marketing, competitive technical strategies and presentation skills. The workshop prepared them to participate in the innovator’s competition wherein they made a presentation before an international panel. Of the 30, 15 were finally selected by the panel and were awarded gold medals during the ceremony by the Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Prithviraj Chauhan. Senior officials from Lockheed Martin, DST, FICCI, University of Texas, Indo-US S&T Forum were also present.

Speaking on the occasion, Chauhan said, “For maintaining rapid growth rate and help alleviate poverty, we need to fully utilise the innovation potential of the youth in science and technology. The winners of this competition exemplify a new class of entrepreneurial spirit unleashed in 21st century India. We need to encourage, promote, nurture and mentor these innovators through programmes like IIGP.”

The IIGP which was initiated for the first time in 2007 is a public private partnership between DST, Lockheed Martin, FICCI and IUSSTF. The programme aims to synergise the world of science and the world of business by assisting the Indian innovators in accelerating their technologies into the global markets. The objective is to accelerate innovative new Indian technologies into markets in the US and around the world. Over the years, the programme has helped several Indian innovators successfully transition their technologies to both the Indian and global markets. As of now, training on commercialisation strategies has been provided to 240 innovators and advanced training in technology commercialisation strategies, venture formation, venture finance, technology marketing, competitive technical strategies and presentation skills has been provided to 120 innovators.

The programme has also witnessed change in times. While in 2007, the applicants were mostly from an Information Communication Technology (ICT) background, 2008 and 2009 saw innovations in bio-technology and 2010 brought in entrepreneurs working in the field of green technology, solar energy, etc. V.K. Topa, advisor to Secretary General, FICCI, said, “The programme has proved that such initiatives are imperative to convert the research being done in the research and development labs into high value products and services. The number of applications received has gone up from 97 in 2007 to about 400 in 2010. The scientific fraternity of India is in anxious need of platforms such as the India Innovation Growth Programme, which needs to be scaled up further to ensure that we are able to reap the benefits of the excellent work being carried out in India.”

T. Ramasami, Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology, said, “Innovation is competition driven. And this is a competition among the competitors. Innovation is converting knowledge into resources. Converting it into a successful venture is beyond that of an innovator. We have to look at not only the process but also the purpose of innovation.”

H.K. Mittal, Head, National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board and National Innovation Project, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, said, “Identification, evaluation and nurturing of innovations require a unique eco-system which is built around active engagement of private and public sector. The IIGP focuses on building that eco-system by value creation for innovators and institutional capacity building.”

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Ray O. Jhonson, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Lockheed Martin said that the India Innovation Growth Programme is part of the Company’s commitment to a long-term commitment and partnership with India. “Today’s increasingly complex global challenges require innovative and affordable solutions. Technology is the key driver to solving these challenges and we need programmes to nurture the new ideas and innovations that will become key elements of our future. The programme is a great platform for the innovators to showcase their brilliant ideas and inventions. The programme will continue for the next two years and we are in discussion with the Ministry to increase the fund for the programme so that we can expand,” he said.

Sid Burback, Director, Global Commercialisation Group, IC2 Institute at the University of Texas said, “Over the past four years, the DST-Lockheed Martin Programme has clearly shown that amongst the great scientific minds in India, the entrepreneurial spirit and talent is strong.”

The Best Brains

The finest of the scientific brains seemed to have been selected for the IIGP this time. The innovations varied from developing energy cakes, a clean energy fuel from industrial waste by Dr. Anil K. Singh, Director, Energy Research Applications, Gurgaon, to developing a handheld digital retinal imaging system by Dr. Anand Sivaraman, Director, Remidio Innovative Solutions Pvt Ltd, Bangalore.

Human life is precious and this realisation seems to have been well understood by winners like Ashish Bhat who has developed a man-portable autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle designed to perform aerial surveillance and reconnaissance with minimal pilot supervision or training. Bhat who is the Director, IdeaForge Technology Pvt Ltd, an IIT Mumbai start-up company, has developed the system which would help gain additional information of site of risky operations without endangering human lives and to make informed decision of tackling an emergency situation. The product can help in addressing anti-terrorists operations, hostage situations, border infiltration monitoring, search and rescue operations, aerial photography, etc. “We are developing fully autonomous micro aerial vehicles which can be used for internal security and surveillance. In addition, we are also developing alternative energy solution wherein we are creating energy solution which works on human power,” said Bhat.

Similarly, Dr. P.T. Ajith Kumar, President and Leading Specialist, Light Logics Holography and Optics, has developed a holographic sight for a weapon such as a rifle, an automatic weapon or a handgun. The technology uses photopolymer instead of silver halide in holographic weapon sights.

The other innovations included Biological neutralisation of alkaline waste water of textile waste water by Dr Rita Kumar, Scientist, Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi; Video communications for masses developed by Hardik Sanghvi, Founder and CEO, VMukti Solutions Pvt. Ltd, Ahmedabad; Clever texting, a software developed by Abhijit Bhattacharjee for entering text messages into cell phones equipped with a numeric keypad; a natural formulation for chronic wound healing by Dr Manu Chaudhary of Venus Medicine Research Centre, Baddi; a process for manufacture of sweetening catalyst Thoxcat ES by Dr Gautam Das of Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun; shock wave treatment for bamboo by Prof. Jagadeesh, Indian Institute of Science; oral sustained release nano-drug for treatment of tuberculosis by Dr Jitendra N. Verma, Managing Director, Lifecare Innovations Pvt Ltd; mozziQuit multi-purpose mosquito trap by Ignatius Orwin Noronha, Managing Director , Leowin Solutions Pvt Ltd; a new method for detecting diabetic neuropathy and predicting foot ulcer development by Dr C. Jairaj Kumar, Deputy Director, K.S. Hegde Medical Academy, Mangalore, active current conditioner by Shwetank Jain, Director, P2 Power Solutions, IIT Kharagpur; and Titanium based wonder gels for degradation of organic dyes from aqueous solution by Shubhangi Umbarkar, Scientist, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune.

What Next?

The IIGP does not leave the winners with just awards. The winners receive professional business development assistance led by managers at FICCI and IC2 Institute, University of Texas, etc. An Impact Analysis Report has thus been commissioned by the Department of Science and Technology. The purpose is to examine the impact of the IIGP to the businesses of programme winners of the last few years. It would provide an overview of the programme and the current status of the business development of the technologies selected under the programme. FICCI is conducting a survey by taking the inputs of the winners since 2007 on the parameters such as business generated and expanded, employment generation and value addition through IIGP.