Infosys Foundation to award innovators

We have found that people have ideas, and have even developed prototypes but they have not had resources to scale them up.

SUDHA MURTHY, Infosys Foundation chairperson

NEWDELHI: Infosys Foundation has launched a set of awards worth up to ₹1.5 crore to provide financial and technical assistance to budding innovators in the social sector to help empower the country’s underprivileged.

The Aarohan Social Innovation Awards also aim to boost social innovation in India.

Technology outsourcing company, Infosys Ltd, provides about ₹350 crore annually for the Foundation’s initiatives for the underprivileged.

A panel of judges, including those from Indian Institutes of Technology and Indian Institutes of Management, has been constituted to assess applications and select the awardees.

The awards would be given under six categories— health care, rural development, destitute care, women’s safety, and empowerment, education and sports and sustainability.

“I have realised that Indians do not lack the capability. However, what many capable people lack are adequate resources because of which they cannot give shape to their ideas. We have found that people have ideas, and have even developed prototypes but they have not had resources to scale them up,” said Infosys Foundation chairperson Sudha Murthy.

“We want to fill that gap using these awards that will not only provide financial assistance but will also provide 12 weeks train- ing so that they are able to fine tune their product. It took us three months to do an extensive research and figure things out.”

The applications are open for adults above 18 until December 31. The awardees will be announced on February 20, 2019.

“This is our first attempt, and depending on the response we could extend it later,” said Murthy. The Foundation is also in talks with Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences to build a dharamshala for its Jhajjar campus in Haryana. A hospital is coming up there with one of the biggest cancer centers in the country.

“We are ready to build it for them provided we get the land with all the requisite clearances,” said Murthy.