Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), an initiative by NITI Aayog, has launched the first phase of the second edition of the Atal New India Challenge (ANIC 2.0). Back in 2018, ANIC 1.0 was kick-started with the objective of innovating technologies that carry significant relevance to the population.
Detailed Overview of Atal New India Challenge
The Atal New India Challenge is a premier program by AIM specifically designed to promote, select and foster technology-based solutions that can potentially address sectorial challenges faced by the nation. The mission invites promising innovations at the prototype level and assists selected start-ups to reach the commercialization stage within a span of 12 to 18 months.
Essentially, ANIC envisages the creation of products that aim to resolve issues of national significance and societal relevance. Furthermore, it intends to help nascent solutions find new markets and early customers, particularly in an Indian context.
Objectives of Atal New India Challenge
Crucially, ANIC aims to stimulate innovations in sectors that are fundamental to India’s growth and development, such as education, health, water and sanitation, agriculture, food processing, housing, energy, mobility and space application. It also intends to bridge the chasm between research and commercialization, known as the Commercialization Valley of Death, by providing innovators access to resources for testing, piloting and market creation.
An Overview of ANIC 1.0 and ANIC 2.0
The initial phase of ANIC 1.0 implemented an open innovation challenge format wherein challenge statements were made public, inviting applications. Promising start-ups and individual innovators were then offered support through a grant-in-aid of up to Rs.1 crore and through AIM’s innovation network.
In contrast, the first phase of ANIC 2.0 will focus on 18 challenges across seven sectors: E-mobility, road transportation, space technology and application, sanitation technology, medical devices and equipment, waste management and agriculture.
About Atal Innovation Mission
AIM is the Government of India’s primary initiative designed to nurture a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across the nation. Its primary goal includes planning new programmes and policies to stimulate innovation in different sectors of the economy and overseeing the innovation ecosystem of the country.
Major Initiatives by Atal Innovation Mission
The key initiatives under AIM encompass the Atal Tinkering Labs, fostering problem-solving mindset across Indian schools, Atal Incubation Centres cultivating world-class start-ups, and Atal New India Challenges encouraging product innovations. Furthermore, the Mentors India Campaign in collaboration with the public sector, corporates and institutions, the Atal Community Innovation Center and the Atal Research and Innovation for Small Enterprises (ARISE) play pivotal roles in reinforcing these initiatives.
Finally, it should be noted that the Atal Innovation Mission is set up under the NITI Aayog, as per a question asked during the UPSC Civil Services Exam in 2019.
