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82 PIONEERING A NEW FUTURE
National Innovation Foundation - India
Above: President Ram Nath Kovind and Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan interacting with innovator Mushtaq Dar from J&K; Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacting with innovation scholars-in-residence at Rashtrapati Bhavan
Below: Innovator Subhash Japtap’s (from Maharashtra) chandan paste-making machine
The National Innovation Foundation (NIF) – India had humble beginnings in the year 2000, and though a small step, it was a significant move for the country. In
many ways, it was a pioneering development for reasons like in-situ incubation, land to lab to land model, Micro Venture Innovation Fund (MVIF), amongst many others, which followed soon after the inception of NIF.
True to its vision to make India innovative and adding value to India's outstanding traditional knowledge base, NIF started functioning in a mission mode to scout, valorise,
validate, protect the intellectual property and disseminate through social and commercial channels
the innovations and outstanding traditional knowledge sourced from the people of the country.
With a decade of efforts in
supporting innovators and one of its kind initiatives
year on year, in 2010, NIF
became an autonomous body of the Department
of Science and Technology, Government of India. This
was a giant historical leap as it started the process of
institutionalizing the innovations of common people of the
country. Today, a reflection of this institutionalization
is evident in the diversity of metrics that NIF represents.
AREAS OF ACTIVITIES
Scouting, Documentation and Database Management (SDDM): Scouting of the innovations is the first step towards fulfilling the mission of NIF. The art of scouting involves the extensive fieldwork, travel in rural and urban areas, search for 'odd ball' experimenters and local community and knowledge experts. Students in summer vacation are also encouraged to scout for such creative people.
Value Addition Research & Development (VARD): The VARD section
technically scrutinizes innovations to ascertain their novelty. Innovations that have the potential for improvement and value addition are identified. A prior art search is conducted, followed by a market analysis through field visits, focus group discussions and consultations
with market leaders, and entrepreneurs in industrial clusters. Some innovations are also either tested in leading laboratories or their efficacy is tested through on-farm trials or in-field testing. Upon completing the primary assessment, the innovation is placed before the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) for their expert advice. Prototyping support is given in many cases where prima facie case appears to be strong even before these technologies are put up to the RAC.
Intellectual Property Management (IPM): The IP Management division receives innovations from various sections, namely, engineering, human health, veterinary health and agriculture.