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Saturday, December 05, 2015

Report of the Expert Committee on Innovation and Entrepreneurship: August 2015, NITI Aayog, New Delhi

Recommendations:
1. Introducing Competitions to Solve Pressing Economic and Social Problems:
The committee recommends a “ Grand Prizes” approach to finding ultra-low-cost solutions to India’ s most intractable problems on the lines of X Prize. Each challenge should carry a prize of between Rs. 10 cr and Rs. 30 cr for achieving a significant precisely-defined target over a precisely defined target over a precisely defined time horizon. The committee recommends spending entire  AIM budget of Rs 150 crores in this way.
(my comment: Amount is significant. Product development to meet challenge needs permission to use part of grant to buy Patents) 
2. Harnessing Corporate Funds to Finance R&D
All contracts with foreign defence companies above $5B should include a clause for 5% of contract value to be directed to establish research centric universities with strong emphasis on its core product areas in particular and broadly focused on the related areas in general.
(my comment: to be seen how this recommendation is accepted by Ministry of Defence)
3.SETU Funds Should Be Used to Upgrade Incubators and Set-UpTinkering Labs
Budget allocated Rs. 1000 crores for Self Employed and Talent Utilization (SETU).  The SETU funds should be used to jumpstart innovation through two concrete initiatives at scale. Committee recommended Rs 500 crores to be given to 10 existing incubators and balance Rs 500 crores to set up Tinkering Labs.
(My comment: Hopefully ten incubators would also include those that support Hardware Startups. I suppose setting up Tinkering Labs would be by UGC)

And many more recommendations: Inability to prioritize is a perennial  problem and this committee followed the best Indian practice of satisfying all stakeholders with a recommendation or two. 
Why Secretary, DSIR is left out of the Board of AIM??

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