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INNOVATION 2 UNICORN

The next paradigm shift in technology can exponentially spur growth and development in sectors as diverse as agriculture, water, energy, transportation, infrastructure, security, health and manufacturing and contribute to the National Mission of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) are a new class of engineered systems that are intelligent, autonomous, and efficient and are expected to drive innovation in such areas.

 

CPS integrates computation and physical processes in a dynamic environment and encompasses technology areas of Cybernetics, Mechatronics (including Cobotics), Design and Embedded systems, the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and many more.

Innovation to Unicorn (I2U) is one such program by IHFC that envisages developing an ecosystem to nurture such 21st Century CPS innovations in the areas of national relevance.

TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION HUBS OF INDIA

Science and Technology (S&T) Clusters

• The S&T clusters are formal umbrella organisations to create strong linkages between existing academic institutions, national & state research laboratories, and other stakeholders like relevant ministries, industry partners, start-ups, MSMEs, state governments, philanthropic foundations, and international organisations.

• Six such clusters have been seeded by the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) to the Government of India.

• Delhi Research Implementation and Innovation (DRIIV) is the umbrella body for managing the Delhi S&T cluster.

• DRIIV currently has 40 members across academia (e.g., IIT D, AIIMS, IIIT D, Ashoka University etc.) and industry (Google Research, Mahindra, Maruti etc.)

To make India a leading player in CPS, NM-ICPS to be implemented by the Department of Science & Technology (DST) with a total outlay of Rs. 3660 Crore for a period of five years.

A network of 16 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs) set up across the country to implement this.

iHUB-Divya Sampark (TIH Roorkee) and IHFC (TIH IIT Delhi) are two such TIHs

Mandate to invest in such CPS innovations and create a seamless ecosystem for CPS technologies via research, technology and product development, innovation and commercialisation.

PROGRAM FEATURES

Seed investment (in select ventures)
Access to institutional investors for follow on funding
Access to corporates for commercialisation
Access to policymakers, ministries, public bodies and PSUs
Access to a mentor (technology and business)
Incubation support *
Handholding (strategy, financial model, investor presentation etc.)
IP support
Office space
Cohort or rolling?
Screening procedure?
Online/Offline, onsite/remote?
Programmed process and deliverables?
Need assessment
Mentor connect
Investment/Commercialisation roadmap
Workshops
Showcasing/marketing support
Demo days *Expert fee/rentals chargeable as applicable

PROGRAM BENEFITS

Industry partners and investors – value proposition
Industry partners and investors – value propositionAccess to highly curated deep tech startups
Alignment with National Missions, implying ‘high demand’ use cases
Access to policymakers, public bodies, PSUs, implying easy lead generation for invested startups
Access to leading technical experts from institutes of eminence
Access to corporate network implies reduced time to market