Young minds often come up with breakthrough ideas; ideas unimaged, that lead to innovation. The youth holds immense potential, which when put to the right use, leads to the flourishing of societies across the world. The Young Innovators Challenge Award conducted by 3M CII recognises this untapped potential and thus opens the ground for the Indian youth to come forward with their innovative ideas that hold the potential to bring about a positive and sustainable change in society.
Like every other year, 3M CII Young Innovators Challenge Award 2021 completed its 8th Season. The theme for this year’s challenge was “Ideas that inspire hope for a resurgent India” with saw over 1500+ idea submissions to 49 Semi-Finalists and 19 Finalists. The challenge received ideas relating to tech solutions offering affordable digital classrooms, hearing-impaired friendly learning platform, clean biomass-burning stove and innovative products for cancer survivors among many others.
Let’s take a look at the winners of the 8th season according to the categories
Category: PRODUCT INNOVATION
IMPACT PRIZE
Project Title: AKIcare
Participant: Dilip Shankar, Niharika C S
Idea Summary: AKICare is a novel attachment to any traditional urinary catheter system and provides a new tool to detect the onset of impending renal dysfunction by analysing urine in real-time.
IDEA PRIZE
Project Title: BlisCare
Participant: Chinmaya Naik, Nikita Kumari
Idea Summary: BlisCare provides affordable digital classroom solutions for visually impaired students with a Digital Braille Display System (Braille Tablet) that can replicate, in real-time, any text, graphical diagram/map into digital braille.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION- IMPACT
Project Title: Canfem
Participant(s): Akriti Gupta, Vidushi Agnihotri
Idea Summary: – Canfem is a social enterprise that provides products and services, catering to the non-medical needs of cancer warriors with an equal focus on advocacy, mental health and empowerment for a better quality of life.
Category: RURAL & INCLUSIVE INNOVATION
IMPACT PRIZE
Project Title: Smart auto Feeder for Shrimp/ Fish
Participant: V. Sai Naga Lokesh, A N S Manasa
Idea Summary: A smart feeder is an auto-feeding machine, which can be used in fish, prawn ponds & crab ponds. It is scheduled to provide feed based on the sonic sounds produced by prawns when hungry.
IDEA PRIZE
Project Title: Venticook
Participant: Anup Paikaray
Idea Summary: Venticook is a clean biomass-burning stove that uses a treadle mechanism (like a sewing machine) to provide a cleaner and more efficient alternative to the conventional biomass cooking stove.
Category: SERVICE INNOVATION
IMPACT PRIZE
Project Title: Learn and Empower
Participant: Prabodh Mahajan, Amanpreet Chopra, Krishna Samudrala
Idea Summary: India’s first hearing impaired-friendly, digital, games-based AI-enabled, teaching-learning platform.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION- IDEA
Project Title: Solar Powered Lift Irrigation
Participant(s): Nishit Sangomla, Lobzang Wangtak
Idea Summary: This idea leverages existing, tested technology solutions in the remote regions of Himalaya (i.e. Zanskar, Ladakh), to provide local communities access to water and energy and with support to livelihoods.
The winners were announced at the CII Innovation Summit 2021, in Bengaluru, India. Young Innovators Challenge Award is presented by 3M in collaboration with CII (Confederation of Indian Industry). 3M is a science and innovation MNC that works towards global sustainable development through environmental protection, corporate and social responsibility and economic progress. CII is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group that worlds towards shaping industry agendas by engaging leaders belonging to different sectors.
This year’s theme was chosen keeping the pandemic in mind and how the world, trapped in crises, found various ways out, all thanks to innovations. Thus this year’s theme revolved around how India has reshaped, rethought and rebuilt innovative solutions to gradually pull itself out of the loss caused by the pandemic.
Any young individual can apply for this award if they fulfil the necessary eligibility criteria. Know more about the 3M CII Young Innovators Challenge Award here
