India with its burgeoning population, and a young one at that, what with median age estimated to be 29 by year 2020 seems to be demographically at an advantage.
However, the benefits could be severely tempered by social inequalities evident on various front. Digital India, Make-In-India, StartupIndia, SwatchBharat and a host of other initiatives, launched by the government are indicators that a sustainable and inclusive growth is a top priority and the several enablers are being continually evolved.
A plethora of organisations, many being early stage startups, both in for-profit and not-for-profit sector are concerned about the all-evident social challenges and are keen to harness the power of technology to address these, at the largest possible scale. The promise of SMAC technologies (Social Media, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud) is only being realised and aspire to be the vehicles of change. Their role in bringing cost down, driving efficiency and effectiveness up makes them an ideal choice while designing solutions for the masses.
NASSCOM Social Innovation Forum (NSIF) was instituted in 2008 with the aim of fostering technology led innovations to address critical gaps in key development areas and thus drive sustainable social impact, and contribute to a more inclusive India.
Evolving through its journey of eight years, NSIF has grown into a venerable national platform, and plays an active role in the technology-for-good ecosystem within India.
Each year the forum attracts over 1000 innovators. Many of them being dynamic high potential projects from NGOs, social enterprises and student groups. These innovations span across the areas of healthcare, education, disability, skilling, financial inclusion and many more.
This year the Forum will focus on innovations in the areas of – Primary and Secondary Education, Healthcare, Livelihood and Agriculture, Accessibility and Environment. Additionally, there will also be an open category for those innovations addressing any other glaring social issue.
NSIF will also extend its engagement with Social Enterprises and Not for Profits. Winning organisations with high potential innovations, will be supported not just with catalytic grants but also by focussed industry mentoring and technology consulting.
A total of upto INR 6 Million in grants will be given by the Forum’s supporter Mphasis to innovations in the areas of Primary and Secondary Education. Mentors, would be professionals from the industry and innovators can draw upon their experience for making a solution self-sustainable, by tweaking their strategy, financing, operations and other areas. The grants and mentoring support is provided with the aim of creating deeper impact and maximise base-of-the-pyramid beneficiaries of the innovation.
Accenture Labs, the research and development arm of Accenture, will provide technology consulting to three chosen innovative solutions of not for profit organisations. The consulting and advisory would guide the innovators towards making its technology piece robust and richer, with the ultimate aim to enhance their reach.
So if you believe your Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based innovation has the power to move our country towards a brighter, stable and inclusive future, this is the perfect platform for you. Participate in the NASSCOM Social Innovation Forum 2017, India’s premier tech4good platform by visiting www.nsif.in. It is your chance to get your innovation noticed, mentored and supported and giving it an impetus to touch thousands of lives!
