Biotechnology Young Entrepreneurs Scheme (YES)

Young researchers working in teams can participate in this program jointly organised by DBT, FCO,UKTI, TiE and ABLE. The participants will be invited to develop a business plan and bid for funding to commercialise their idea. Contact Shailaja Gupta of DBT at shailaja@dbt.nic.in for details.

Solar bottle

This years Index awards include `solar bottle'.

One sixth of the world's population has no access to safe drinking water, increasing their risk of waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, typhoid fever, Hepatitis A and dysentery.When attending an exhibition under the theme “H2O” at Milan's International Furniture Fair, Designers Alberto Meda and Francisco Gomez Paz learned about the SODIS system, a simple, low-cost solution for treating drinking water at a household level. Contaminated water is filled into transparent plastic bottles. When exposed to full sunlight for six hours, the pathogens in the water are destroyed.

Meda and Paz decided to design a container that brings the best out of the SODIS system, and the result is Solar Bottle, which has one transparent face for UV-A + infrared rays collection and one aluminium color to increase the reflections. The high ratio surface/thickness of the low cost four liter container improves the performance of solar disinfection and its flat shape makes it stackable and facilitates storage. A handle makes it possible to regulate the angle for best solar exposition and ensures easy transportation.

Acharya Nagarjuna University

TePP outreach centre was inaugurated at ANU on 27th August 2007. A brief on ANU:

Acharya Nagarjuna University was inaugurated on 11th September 1976 by the then President of India Shri Fakruddin Ali Ahmed. The University caters to the higher educational needs of Prakasam, Guntur and Krishna Districts of Andhra Pradesh. The University has grown by leaps and bounds to the present level due to the efforts of successive Vice-Chancellors. Today Acharya Nagarjuna University is one of the highly acclaimed universities in India. It has more than 375 affiliated colleges, two PG campuses at Nuzvid and Ongole apart from the University campus at Nagarjuna Nagar. It offers about 60 regular courses and about 100 distance education programme. The University has bestowed its attention on development of infrastructure in the recent past and is expanding it to meet the current needs. Many firsts are being created.

Prof V Balamohadas, VC, ANU is the driving force to make his university the nodal center for all innovation activity around the region.

Technology Management for globalising firms

E-Book on `Technology Management for globalising firms' can be downloaded free from Indian Innovators Association, E learning page. Access needs neither registration nor password. The files need Adobe Reader, which can be downloaded free from web.

Metamorphosis at ISB

ISB is organising a Business Plan competition `Metamorphosis'. It will be a different type of competition. Participants are required to create a business plan to exploit opportunities arising from one of 10 such technologies developed by innovators under the TePP scheme. The team adjudged the best will win prize money of Rs 100,000/-. Each of the other five finalist teams will receive prize money of Rs 20,000/- each.

Interested -check details at :http://www.isb.edu/wadhwani/Technologies_products.html

Innovators of North East exhibition 8t to 10th August 2007

An exhibition will be organized at NEDFi-Haat, Ambari, Guwahati from 8 ^th to 10^th August, 07 to showcase the innovations made by the Grassroots Innovators of the North East. The exhibition is being jointly organized by NEDFi, Rural Technology Action Group based in IIT, Guwahati and GIAN-NE. The aim of the exhibition is to create awareness and promote commercialization of the products developed by these innovators. The exhibition will be inaugurated by Sri Pradyut Bordoloi, Hon'ble Minister for Industries & Commerce, Power, Public Enterprises, Govt. of Assam at 12.30 p.m. on 8^th August,07. The exhibition will remain open from 10.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. on the other two days.

Innovators of North East

TePP sponsored workshop held at Imphal attracted several innovators and good press coverage. See the article in Chicagotribune.