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News & Views |
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MIT Professor Engages With Grassroots Innovators |
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Prof Eric Von Hippel, Professor and Head of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Group at the MIT Sloan School of Management, visited three innovators during his visit to India in connection with Inventors of India 2008. He visited the Bachubhai Thesia, Jamnagar, innovator of lever operated tractor, Ramesh Bhalala, Rajkot and Mansukhbhai Jagani, Amreli, innovator of Bullet Santi. He was also given an elaborate presentation on the upcoming promising technologies. The innovation of low cost, sanitary napkin making machine and other low cost innovative technologies fascinated him.
Fourth Workshop on Inventors of India
The workshop for the innovators and inventors titled ‘Knowledge Network for Incubating Innovations into Enterprises’ was organized from November 28-30, 2008 at IIM Ahmedabad. The fourth workshop was planned to facilitate further value addition through the IIMA, CIIE and other Indian and international incubators.
The main objective of the workshop was to bring together the innovators from formal and informal sectors in the incubation chain to facilitate the development of an interdependent, self-sustainable network. On November 28, 2008 the informal sector innovators shared their creativity. November 29 and November 30 were lined up with group-presentation sessions by formal sector participants. They were divided into different sectors according to the area of their inventions like medical equipments/devices/process, herbal medicine/products, agriculture and agro processing machinery, electrical & electronics, construction and energy, mechanical & metallurgy, automobiles, chemical & plastics.
In his inaugural address Prof Eric von Hippel said that there were toolkits to better equip the users with the varied innovative ways that could help them fabricate their own products in the factory. The session ‘Experience of commercialization: Non-agricultural technologies: grassroots innovations’ was chaired by Prof C Amarnath, IIT, Mumbai. He said that the biggest challenge faced was how to motivate a large number of engineering students into the incubation process. Prof A K Gupta, IIM Ahmedabad, added that an “Invention and Innovation Viral” has to be created so as to spread the influence over the large community as whole. Grassroots innovators like Mallesham (Andhra Pradesh, Asu machine), Muruganantham (Tamil Nadu-Mini Sanitary Napkin Machine), Bachubhai Savajibhai Thesia (Gujarat - Lever Operated Tractor & Battery-operated Tricycle) and many others made the presentations.
The next session ‘Towards value addition and dissemination: Mechanical agricultural technologies’ was chaired by Prof Girja Sharan, IIM Ahmedabad. He said that the workshop was important as it facilitated to see examples of struggle with the business aspects of the innovation. In the session ‘Blending innovations in formal and informal sector: Honey Bee Network experience with G²G, Professor Gupta said that there was a need to find people all over the country, both in formal and informal sector, who have solved their problems through their own genius. These people may find extraordinary solutions to their problems and are many times actually not aware of their being innovator.
On November 29 different groups gave presentations on the validation and value addition and blending formal and informal sector innovations, social diffusion of open source innovation, commercial diffusion and value chain development, mentoring, monitoring and networking. On the same day there were sectoral presentations on medical equipments/devices/process. In the session on 'Technology Incubation experience in India,' Prof C Amarnath emphasized that market validation is a very important step in the incubation process, which helps to move the product forward in market.
On November 30, there were sectoral presentations on construction and energy, mechanical & metallurgy, automobiles, chemical and plastics. In the final discussion it was unanimously decided that there should be Credit Guarantee Scheme for the patent holders. There could even be an innovation week. The need for Realistic Business plan to help the innovators who cannot handle technology per se was realised. The present members agreed that the word of mouth was the most powerful means of creating opportunities. Everybody agreed that awareness about policies, liberal policies, more subsidies, time-bound validation, IT exemption, and waiver on customs duty can make the path easier for the innovators.
Innovators Win Micro Entrepreneur Award
Two innovators from Tamilnadu, Shri Alagarasamy and Shri Azhagar, have won Citigroup Micro Entrepreneur Award 2007. They have developed Moringa varieties. The award function took place on December 11, 2008 in New Delhi at Hotel Taj Palace. Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Shri Montek Singh Ahluwalia was the chief guest.
Shri Alagarasamy hails from Dindigul district. Over the past nine years or so, his moringa variety has diffused to about 3,000 farmers in Dindigul, Madurai and Coimbatore districts covering more than 6000 hectare. He received SRISTI Samman in 2006. He also has many other awards and recognition to his credit. The second winner Shri Azhagar’s moringa variety has good potential for cultivation by farmers in partially irrigated lands.
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| Volume No. |
Honey Bee 19(4): 21, 2008 |
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