No one anticipated the second COVID-19 wave to have such a lethal impact. Not only the economy is shaken, even the environment has taken a toll. The government is now inviting Indian companies and start-ups to develop technology that can help tackle the COVID-19 crisis.
What is the initiative and which companies can apply?
The Government of India has launched the NIDHI4COVID2.0 initiative, under which companies registered in India can apply. Companies can offer promising solutions in the field of Oxygen innovation, portable solutions, relevant medical accessories, diagnostics, informatics, or any other solution that address/ mitigate various challenges faced by our country during the crisis.
This initiative is a special drive of the National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB), Department of Science & Technology (DST), and the Government of India. The main aim is to support indigenous solutions and innovative products to combat the COVID-19 crisis.
Blueprint of this Initiative
This initiative has been built on NSTEDB’s past experience of implementing Centre for Augmenting War with COVID-19 Health crisis (CAWACH). The initiative also receives assistance through the National Initiative for Development and Harnessing Innovations- Seed Support System’s (NIDHI- SSS) Technology Business Incubators (TBI).
As of now, the country imports products such as oxygen concentrators. Under this initiative, promising start ups and companies which offering alternatives to imported products will be provided with seed support from the technology business incubators. The financial support will help innovators scale up their products/ technologies to an advance level and speed up the production process. This will also help them to reach the product deployment stage as fast as possible.
On the occasion, the Secretary of Department of Science an Technology Prof Ashutosh Sharma said:
“Supporting development of devices like Oxygen Concentrators also brings with it huge opportunities in the development and manufacturing of several critical components that are being imported such as specialized valves, zeolite materials, oil-less and noiseless miniaturized compressors, gas sensors, etc. which have wider applications in several sectors.”
How to Apply?
Interested applicants offering promising solutions can apply through the centralized portal https://dstnidhi4covid.in/ latest by 31.05.2021, 23:59 hrs. For further details and eligibility conditions, applicants can visit https://dstnidhi4covid.in/.
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