- 8th edition of the challenge witnessed participation from over 1500 young innovators across India
- Focus on ideas reshaping society with science and sustainable solutions, with the ability to deliver a positive impact
National, 20 September 2020: 3M India has announced the winners of the eighth edition of the prestigious 3M-CII Young Innovators Challenge Awards at the CII Innovation Summit 2021, in Bengaluru. With an aim to support young innovators in reshaping society with science and sustainable solutions, the theme for this year’s challenge was “Ideas that inspire hope for a resurgent India”. The challenge received entries including tech solutions offering affordable digital classrooms, hearing impaired friendly learning platform, clean biomass-burning stove and innovative products for cancersurvivors among many others.
Since its inception in 2014, the 3M-CII Young Innovators Challenge Awards Program has been recognizing and encouraging youth-led innovations that have demonstrated potential to bring about a sustainable impact in our society. With 8 successful editions, Young Innovators Challenge has awarded more than 40 young innovators giving rise to 5000+ ideas for impact. This year the jury has selected two winners under – Product Innovation category, one winner under Service Innovation category and two under the Rural & Inclusive Innovation category. In addition, there are two special mention awardees under Product and Service Innovation categories, respectively.
The Challenge intends to examine, identify and encourage innovators whose idea can also contribute towards addressing the sustainable development goals (SDGs) stated by the United Nations. It fosters the creation of a solution/ service that generates unique value to its audience across sectors like health, education, environment and governance.
Applauding the winners, Mr. Ramesh Ramadurai, Managing Director, 3M India said, “The pandemic has brought a sense of urgency to create an environment that fosters sustainable growth through empowering bold leaders for the future challenges. 3M in collaboration with CII aims to provide a platform to our young innovators who have demonstrated tremendous potential to create a better world and serve communities. We are proud of the talent that we have in our country and look forward to following the journey of our 2021 winners.”
This year the external jury included experts from the technology sector, social innovators as well as members from the corporate world. The entire challenge was conducted virtually, given the disruption caused by the pandemic. The 3M-CII Young Innovators Challenge Awards provides a great opportunity to the ‘’changemakers” who can lead the future with their ideas. 3M India will offer a seed funding of INR 3,00,000 to each of the winners, and INR 1,50,000 to winners of the special recognition prize.
WINNING PROJECTS
Category: PRODUCT INNOVATION
IMPACT PRIZE
Project Title: AKIcare
Participant: Dilip Shankar, Niharika C S
Idea Summary: AKICare is a novel attachment to any traditional urinary catheter system and provides a new tool to detect the onset of impending renal dysfunction by analysing urine in real-time.
IDEA PRIZE
Project Title: BlisCare
Participant: Chinmaya Naik, Nikita Kumari
Idea Summary: BlisCare provides affordable digital classroom solutions for visually impaired students with a Digital Braille Display System (Braille Tablet) that can replicate, in real-time, any text, graphical diagram/map into digital braille.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION- IMPACT
Project Title: Canfem
Participant(s): Akriti Gupta, Vidushi Agnihotri
Idea Summary: – Canfem is a social enterprise that provides products and services, catering to the non-medical needs of cancer warriors with an equal focus on advocacy, mental health and empowerment for a better quality of life.
Category: RURAL & INCLUSIVE INNOVATION
IMPACT PRIZE
Project Title: Smart auto Feeder for Shrimp/ Fish
Participant: V. Sai Naga Lokesh, A N S Manasa
Idea Summary: Smart feeder is an auto feeding machine, which can be used in fish, prawn pond & crab pond. It is scheduled to provide feed based on the sonic sounds produced by prawns when hungry.
IDEA PRIZE
Project Title: Venticook
Participant: Anup Paikaray
Idea Summary: Venticook is a clean biomass-burning stove that uses a treadle mechanism (like a sewing machine) to provide a cleaner and more efficient alternative to the conventional biomass cooking stove.
Category: SERVICE INNOVATION
IMPACT PRIZE
Project Title: Learn and Empower
Participant: Prabodh Mahajan, Amanpreet Chopra, Krishna Samudrala
Idea Summary: India’s first hearing impaired-friendly, digital, games-based AI-enabled, teaching-learning platform.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION- IDEA
Project Title: Solar Powered Lift Irrigation
Participant(s): Nishit Sangomla, Lobzang Wangtak
Idea Summary: This idea leverages existing, tested technology solutions in the remote regions of Himalaya (i.e. Zanskar, Ladakh), to provide local communities access to water and energy and with support to livelihoods.
