The 9th National Level Exhibition and Project Competition (NLEPC) for the INSPIRE Awards – MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspiration and Knowledge) has recently been in the spotlight. The awards are a part of a larger initiative by the Indian Government to foster innovative thinking and scientific curiosity among students.
What is the INSPIRE Award?
The INSPIRE Award, standing for Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research, aligns with India’s ‘Start-up’ initiative and is run by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the National Innovation Foundation – India (NIF), an autonomous DST body. Students from all educational institutions across the country, both government and private, are encouraged to participate, regardless of their educational board affiliations.
Participants receive financial support of Rs 10,000 each to help develop ideas they have submitted to the scheme. They then compete in District Level Exhibition and Project Competition (DLEPC), State Level Exhibition and Project Competition (SLEPC) and ultimately, the National Level Exhibition and Project Competition (NLEPC).
The Aim and Objectives of INSPIRE Award
The primary aim of this initiative is to stimulate students to become future innovators and critical thinkers. The key objectives include generating one million original science-based ideas or innovations that can address societal needs, fostering a culture of creativity among school children, and nurturing them to become responsible citizens and innovation leaders of tomorrow.
The INSPIRE Awards 2022: An Overview
In the 2022 INSPIRE Awards event, 60 Start-Ups received awards, and 53,021 students received financial aid. The program achieved widespread inclusivity, representing the ideas and innovations of 702 districts of the country, including 123 out of 124 aspirational districts. The representation included 51% girls, 84% participation from schools in rural areas, and 71% of the schools run by the State/UT Governments.
An Insight into the INSPIRE Scheme
The INSPIRE (Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research) scheme is one of the flagship programs of the Ministry of Science and Technology. It aims to inspire the youth population of the country to pursue the creative practice of science. Since 2010, the Government of India has successfully implemented the INSPIRE scheme. The scheme covers students in the age group of 10-32 years and consists of five components, with the INSPIRE Awards- MANAK being one.
Other Related Initiatives
Several other initiatives align with the INSPIRE scheme. The Draft National Science Technology and Innovation Policy 2020 aims to identify and strengthen the Indian Science Technology and Innovation ecosystem, and make it globally competitive.
SERB-POWER Scheme is designed exclusively for women scientists to mitigate gender disparity in scientific research in Indian academic institutions and R&D laboratories. Swarna Jayanti Fellowship offers special assistance to young scientists to pursue basic research in frontier areas of science and technology.
Insights into Smart India Hackathon 2017
Smart India Hackathon 2017 was a digital product development competition that lasted 36 hours non-stop. Thousands of technology students teamed up to create innovative digital solutions for problems identified by 29 different Ministries/Departments of the Indian Government. For the first time, government departments directly engaged with students, challenging them to build digital solutions to improve efficiency, prevent revenue leakages, and fight corruption. The winners received support for turning their ideas into startups and cash prizes as well.
