Atal Innovation Mission has launched the Atal New India Challenge under the theme of Women Centric Challenges.
The Atal New India Challenges initiative by Atal Innovation Mission is aimed at supporting innovators creating products based on advanced technologies in areas of national importance and social relevance through a grant based mechanism, with access to handholding, mentoring and other technical support.
One of the primary goals of the ANIC program is to incentivize innovations in areas critical to India’s development and growth – Education, Health, Water and Sanitation, Agriculture, Food Processing, Housing, Energy, Mobility, Space Application etc.
Researchers have long talked of the Valleys of Death at the early stage and at the commercialization stage in taking innovations to the market.
The Atal New India Challenge aims to address the second Commercialization Valley of Death – supporting innovators scale over the risks associated with access to resources for testing, piloting and market creation.
Visions
The vision of the Atal New India Challenge (ANIC) is two-fold:
Help create products from existing technologies that solve problems of national importance and societal relevance (productization)
Help new solutions find markets and early customers (commercialization) in the context of India
Challenges
Driving women hygiene through innovation
Sustainable compostable sanitary napkins
Detection and recovery for Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
Innovative toilet concept for women travelling long distances(e.g. Auto-flushing, Clean, & Hygienic Smart Public Toilet)
Innovations to improve women’s safety
Development of an improved lifesaving application that can be used quickly and discreetly. The application should trigger location-accurate alerts in emergency situations.
Safety Gadgets : A range of jewelry wearables that have a mix of style and safety. This aids in the general feeling of safety for women who are equipped with this technology.
Exploring technology safety in the context of violence against women (e.g. countering online abuse)
Professional networking opportunities for women
Creation of a platform that is designed for mothers (or women who had to deprioritize professional life due to family responsibilities) who want to re-enter the workforce after taking a career break that not only provides them with job opportunities but also helps them scale up their skills.
Development of a women – only business networking app/ self-help groups to promote products and services by women led start-ups.
Innovations that make working mothers’ life better
Development of silent, on-the-go, wearable electric breast pump that allows women to collect breast milk any time anywhere
Child Safety (e.g. Development of technology that pairs working moms with Babysitter various technical platforms (over video chat etc.).
Easing the life of Rural Women
Innovation to ease the rural women’s burden of water collection
Innovations that harness naturally available resources to improve the standard of living of rural women.(e.g Solar-powered Irrigation Pump)
Funding Information
Funding of up to INR 1 crore for each winner start-up / MSME.
Eligibility Criteria
Any Indian company incorporated under the Companies Act 1956/2013, primarily a Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) as defined in the MSMED Act, 2006
Any company registered as a Start-up, as defined, and recognized by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.
The majority stake (more than 51%) of the applicant entity must be held in India.
