
The Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS) will provide Rs 40.72 lakh to fund 10 innovative projects by postgraduate students of Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU). The grants, under the New Age Innovation Network (NAIN) initiative, aim to help students turn prototype ideas into commercially viable products. Over 50 proposals were submitted; a team from IIIT Dharwad evaluated them and selected these projects after campus visits.
Key projects include Laser Weeds, which uses lasers to eliminate agricultural pests without chemicals; DiabTrack, a smart band for diabetes monitoring; and NurseEasy, an IoT system for hospital medication alerts. The funding comes through KITS and the Visvesvaraya Research and Innovation Foundation (VRIF) in collaboration with the Karnataka IT-BT department.
This KITS-VTU funding is welcome but raises the usual question of outcomes. Ten projects out of 50 submissions got support, yet the real test is how many reach market. Too many government innovation grants end in prototypes that gather dust. The state should track conversion rates and publish them. Will the 40-lakh figure be enough to push these ideas past the lab?
Source: deccanherald.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
Ashin Xavier: interesting
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