NIF to scout 10 lakh innovations from students under new DST scheme

He also said that the INSPIRE-MANAK scheme would boost the IGNITE model developed by NIF- an autonomous body of DST and by Honey Bee Network which awards student innovators on APJ Abdul Kalam’s birthday on October 15. Started in 2008- 173, the awards have been given to 246 students for their ideas/innovations at the IGNITE awards.

“Taking forward the ‘INSPIRE’ program run by DST, now under the new scheme, around 10 lakh innovative ideas will be scouted from five lakh schools across India and from them, one lakh will be awarded Rs 5,000. Further, the NIF will help turn innovation of school going students into proof of concept stage. This initiative will be launched in a full fledged manner on April 1, 2017. Also, around 1000 best innovations will receive Rs 20,000 from NIF,” said Vipin Kumar, Director and Chief Innovation Officer at NIF.

This year more than 55,000 submissions were received from 458 districts of the country for Ignite awards and an exhibition to showcase all award-winning ideas by young innovators was held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi, in which two innovators from Gujarat were also present.

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