Innovation for India Awards is MIF’s biennial program that aims to showcase and celebrate currently hidden, potentially game-changing Indian innovations, offering them a getaway to recognition and a symbol of excellence in innovation.
2020
Start-Up – For Profit
Genrobotics has developed a unique robotic solution that cleans manholes, bringing quality changes in the lives of manual scavengers: a sewage cleaning robot that cuts down cleaning time from 3-4 manual hours to just 45 minutes. Through this, they hope to end manual scavenging and give those still forced to undertake the activity a dignified mode of living.
Not For Profit
Innaumation has created a medical device that helps throat cancer patients reclaim their voice, literally. Most throat cancer patients who undergo laryngectomy are unable to speak after their voice box is removed. These patients opt for prosthesis, which costs around INR 25,000-3,000—a price point that most can’t afford. Innaumation’s Aum Voice Prosthesis (also known as the $1 device) is priced at an easy INR 50.
Start-Up – For Profit
Agatsa has created affordable and pocket-sized healthcare devices that help in early diagnosis, and hence management of lifestyle diseases. For instance, they have developed the world’s smallest and most intelligent medical-grade 12-lead ECG device that can be carried around in one’s pocket! In just one and a half years of marketing and commercialising the product, they have clocked a revenue of around INR 3.5 crore.
Special Mention
Indian School of Development Management (ISDM) is an institution that equips management professionals to serve the unique needs of India’s social sector organisations. Recognising the gap in conventional management education, it has designed a unique, practice-based curriculum to create a cadre of professional leaders and managers for India’s social sector.
Global Gamechanger
Goonj is a not-for-profit organisation that uses underutilised and excess urban household material as a tool for rural development across 23 states in India. Goonj’s disaster relief & rehabilitation initiative, RAHAT, has evolved into a reliable and time-based approach that engages a network of stakeholders in urban and rural India.
It has previously won the Innovation for India Awards 2010 under the Not For Profit category.
Global Gamechanger
Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) is a not-for-profit initiative established by Indian sporting legends Geet Sethi and Prakash Padukone, aimed at supporting Indian athletes to win medals in Olympic disciplines. It compliments the efforts of the Indian government and various sports federations by identifying potential medal talent, and providing progress benchmarking, expert coaching, equipment, sports science, and access to state-of-the-art facilities.
