www.contest.net.in

Organisation : MyGov
Competition Name : BIRAC-Innovation Challenge Award 2017
Contest Last Date : 31th October, 2017
Terms & Conditions : https://innovate.mygov.in/birac-innovation-challenge-award/
Website : https://innovate.mygov.in/

BIRAC-Innovation Challenge Award :

BIRAC-SoCH is an Innovation Challenge Award aimed at propelling the Indian innovators towards combating the challenges of community health sector. SoCH award is highly focused and directed towards achieving a clear bold and audacious goal, pushing the boundaries of human imagination and expertise by focusing on issues currently held to be untraceable or that has no clear solution.

Related : MyGov Open Gov Data Hackathon 2017 : www.contest.net.in/27333.html

India presently is plagued with concerns of maternal and child health, mental disorders, sanitation, potable water availability, healthcare, nutrition, soil fertility, energy and huge waste generation which in broader sense are classified under community health issues.

Community health problems need to be addressed with immediate effect in order to realize the goals set in Sustainable Development Goals 2030 by the UN. It is towards realizing this end that BIRAC has come up with SoCH. ‘SoCH’ in Hindi means ‘thought’; indicating the fact that SoCH is oriented towards motivating the scientific thinkers and innovators to come up with solutions for community health.

SoCH is designed to offer recognition and financial support to technology innovators and entrepreneurs who have been working in the community health sector and/or facilitate a promising technology idea that can be converted into a handy technology addressing the issues of community health in a defined time limit.

Themes for SoCH 2017-18 :
i. Platform technologies for reducing the burden of Diseases (Communicable and Non-communicable diseases)
ii. Sanitation and Waste Recycling

Scope of the Challenge :
** SoCH is an incentivized prize competition aimed at propelling the Indian innovators towards combating the challenges of community health.
** Proposals are invited for the above two mentioned themes and the potential applicants will then be shortlisted for either Hackathons or an Ideathon (based on the theme).
** Grant-in-aid of up to INR 15 lakhs will be given to the shortlisted candidates to design a Minimal Viable Prototype (MVP).
** Grant period is 6 months.
** Evaluation of MVPs and selection of final winners of the two themes will be awarded with 50 lakhs.

Eligibility Criteria :
Individuals :
** The applicant must be an Indian citizen.
** The primary applicant should be the Project Leader who meets the eligibility requirements mentioned below.

** If the applicant is formally employed with a non-profit academic or research organization, then the applicant has to produce a No Objection Certificate from the head of the organization clearly indicating that the organization has policies in place to allow the applicant to accept the award as an individual and has policies in place to allow its employees creation of technology products while in service or while in sabbatical leave or while in EOL.

** An individual who is a promoter shareholder of any company or one of the partners in any LLP will not be allowed to apply as an individual, irrespective of the percentage of shareholding of the applicant in the company.

Company :
** The Company/LLP should be registered under the Indian Companies Act, 1956/2013.
** The incorporation date of the Company/LLP should not be earlier than 3 years from the date of launch of SoCH.
** A company is considered as ‘Owned’ by resident Indian citizen if minimum 51% of the capital in it is beneficially owned by resident Indian citizens and/or Indian Companies, which are ultimately owned and controlled by resident Indian citizens
** A Project Leader who meets eligibility requirements mentioned below must represent the Company/LLP’s application
** The Company/LLP must have its own in-house R&D facilities that are functional and adequate to execute the project.

** An applicant company, in which any promoter holding more than or equal to 20% of the shares, is a co-promoter of another ineligible company or a partner in another ineligible company/LLP, then the applicant will be rendered ineligible. The only exception to this shall be situations wherein the latter ineligible company/LLP is operating in non-biotech domains.

In case applicant is an LLP: An applicant LLP, in which any of the partners is also a partner in another ineligible LLP or is a co-promoter in another ineligible company, then the applicant will be rendered ineligible. The only exception to this shall be in situations where in the latter ineligible LLP/company is operating in non-biotech firms.

** Entries can be submitted by individuals/ group of individuals/organizations.
** As there is a requirement that the project should start with immediate effect, the team composition should be well thought out and should be ready by the time of submitting the entry.

Application Process :
** BIRAC will launch SoCH on 22nd September 2017 on MyGov.
** The call for proposal will close on 31st October 2017 at 11:59pm.
** The applicant needs to submit an online application for the grant of the award by registering and logging-on MyGov. Please note that applications are accepted online only.
** Applicants are advised to fill-up and submit their applications early without waiting for the last date in order to avoid any last minute contingencies. The system stops accepting applications automatically at midnight of the last date of receipt of application..
** Applicants are advised to provide sufficient details in their applications to allow for an informed and fair evaluation/review. Applicants are advised to provide self-contained proposals with essential supporting materials provided as uploads.
** Proposal once submitted are final. No changes will be accepted thereafter.
** Providing incorrect information will lead to outright rejection of proposals.

Selection Process :
** As a first step, selection committee in BIRAC will screen the applications for eligibility and appropriateness under SoCH scheme.

** Eligible proposals are categorized into two categories: Those who apply under the theme “Platform technologies for reducing the burden of Diseases (Communicable and Non-communicable diseases)” will go through Hackathon track and those who apply under the theme “Sanitation and Waste Recycling” will be selected for Ideathon.

** Those shortlisted for Hackathon will be invited to participate in BIRAC-SoCH Hackathon and will be assessed by the designated experts.
** Ideathon proposals will be invited for presentation in person and the selection committee in BIRAC will assess the merit of the proposal.
** Due diligence reports by the experts are then examined by BIRAC selection committee, subsequent to which proposal is finally approved for the grant of the award.
** If for any reason the team decides to discontinue the project in the first 6 months, then all of the unutilized fund should be returned to BIRAC with immediate effect.