BUSINESS CHINESE
GRASSROOT INNOVATION
Aravind G
Chandrakant Anuse
Ostrowski Christopher Benjamin
Anil G
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INNOVATION DEFINED
 Involves thinking differently, creatively and insightfully
 Enables solutions/ inventions that have an impact on social and
economic value
 Fulfills
unmet needs, not met
products/processes/ institutional forms
by
conventional
 Moving beyond R&D to mean new applications of old
technologies, new processes & structures, organisational
creativity & more…
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INNOVATION DEFINED
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Products
Services
Processes
Organization
Governance
Social sector
Urban/Rural
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Public
National
International
Private Sector/ NGO
Individual
Institution
Big/ Small
Innovations redefine everything
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INNOVATIONS
 People, Culture, Diversity, Ecosystem & Opportunities
drive Innovations
 Innovations are required to develop new Products, Services,
Markets, reduce Costs, improve Efficiency, Productivity,
Performance, Quality, etc
 Innovations are the key to Growth, Prosperity & Problem
solving world over
Grassroots Innovations
Characteristics, Causes and Types
Innovation is about thinking and creating solutions with an uncommon perspective, that tend
to positively impact the environment, both socially and economically.
Characteristics
 In terms of subject, grassroots innovation is a bottom up innovation starting from the grassroots
wherein grassroots refers to disadvantaged class as opposed to mainstream elite
 In terms of motive, grassroots innovations are spontaneous and interest driven
 In terms of method, grassroots innovation advance gradually starting from direct experience
 In terms of type, grassroots innovation is the practical low-cost innovation based on technology
Causes
•Need (Necessity is the mother of all inventions)
•Negligence by the mainstream
•Cost
•Expertise (Acumen)
•Practical Knowledge: We could produce good seeds
and poultry even before we knew about DNA
•There exists a market for Frugal Solutions
Hindrances
• Lack of education/support/opportunity
• Traditional learning system
• Preference to JOBS
• Society/Family/Peers
INNOVATION PILLARS
Human Capital
& Tools
Changing
Nature
Global
Dimensions
Governance /
Markets/
Finance
Measurements
Mindset/ Talent
Knowledge
intensive/
Entrepreneurs
BB
Connectivity/
Internet
New
Collaborations/
Social Networks
R&D
investment
Multi
disciplinary
Collaborative
Faster than
ever before
Universal
Applications
Speed to Scale/
Open source
innovations
Policies/
Processes
Infrastructure
Competitivenes
s
Risk capital
Benchmarks/
Analysis
Innovations
Frameworks and Types
CURRENT EFFORTS
 Many players on Multiple fronts:
 National Innovation Foundation
 Honey Bee Network
 Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and
Institutions (SRISTI)
 Council for Scientific & Industrial Research
 Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
 Education Institutions like IISc, IITs, IIMs, etc
 Technology and Business Incubators
 New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative
 Department of Science and Technology (DST) and more ….
CURRENT EFFORTS
 Techno Entrepreneurs Promotion Program
 Technology Development Board (TDB)
 Home Grown Technology Program (HGT)
 AYUSH: Ayurveda Yoga Naturopathy Unani Siddha and Homeopathy
 GIAN: Grassroots Innovation Augmentation Network
 FRLHT: Foundation for Revitalization of Local Health Traditions
 TERI: The Energy and Research Institute
 CII,FICCI, AIMA and others
And many more at national & state levels in Government & private
sector
SOME CHALLENGES
 The researchers in R&D per million people in 2006:
India (119), China (715), South Korea (3723), US (4628)
and Japan (5300)
 R&D expenditure - 0.8 per cent of GDP
 Education , skill & infrastructure need new investments
 Need more productivity from the existing institutions
 Linkages between academia, research and industry need to be
Strengthened
 Innovations in Design need to be expedited:
India’s output in new designs 39 vs. 53,000 in China in 2002
CHALLENGES: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
 India Ranked 119 of 149 countries in the 2004 Science Citation Index
 India produces only 6,000 PhDs a year in science and 1,000 in
engineering
 Less than 20 % of public support for R&D is for civilian applications
 Indian Institute of Technology was granted 3-6 patents a year compared
with 64 for the Stanford and 102 for the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (McKinsey)
 According to WIPO statistics (2009) India was granted 7,539 patents
while the equivalent number for Japan was 1,64,954, the US was
1,57,283, the Republic of Korea was 1,23,705, and China was 67,948
 In 2006, India had 119 researchers in R&D per million people, while
China had 715, South Korea had 3723, US had 4628 and Japan had 5300
GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS: S&T
Global competitiveness: Innovation Capacity Components Index
Innovation
Capacity
Index
Quality of
scientific
research
institutions
University-industry
research
collaboration
Availability of
scientists &
engineers
Utility patents
(per million of
people)
Public
procurement
of advanced
technology
Country
Rank
Score
Rank
Score
Rank
Score
Rank
Score
Rank
Score
Rank
Score
Brazil
27
4.0
43
5.13
50
3.6
57
4.4
58
0.5
84
3.4
China
25
4.2
37
5.12
23
4.5
52
4.5
54
0.6
20
4.2
India
35
3.8
27
5.1
45
3.6
3
5.7
57
0.5
88
3.4
Japan
2
5.9
15
5.4
21
4.6
2
5.9
3
260
42
3.9
South
Korea
9
5.3
14
5.5
12
5.1
19
5.1
7
131
2
5.1
United
Kingdom
14
14.0
7
5.7
9
5.1
32
4.8
18
55
32
4.0
United
States
6
5.5
1
6.3
1
5.8
6
5.5
1
262
4
4.9
Note: Rank refers to the economy’s global rank on each indicator among 134 economies. Scores range from 1, low, to 7 highest, except for utility patents,
where the score shows the number of
patents per million people.
Source: WEF 2008.
SOME OPPORTUNITIES
 Organisational flexibility
 Increased collaborations
 Patent protection
 Young talent pool
 Diaspora talent pool
 Traditional knowledge based Products & Services
 Low cost robust Broadband ICT infrastructure
 Grassroots/low cost innovations
 Inclusive/BOP/Scalable innovations
 Global markets
STRATEGY
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INNOVATION PENTAGON
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STRATEGY
 Provide broader PLATFORM for Innovations everywhere to include:
1.
Products
2.
Services
3.
Organisations & Institutions
4.
Processes
5.
Research and Development
6.
Science & Technology
7.
Governance
8.
Social and Cultural
9.
Mindset
10.
National/ State/ Sectoral Councils
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STRATEGY
 Encourage Innovations for INCLUSION aimed at the Bottom Of the
Pyramid:
1.
Awareness
2.
Access
3.
Affordability
4.
Availability
5.
Scalability
6.
Sustainability
7.
Quality
8.
Pervasive Growth
9.
Innovations for/by the people
10. Innovations for the BOP
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STRATEGY
 Foster necessary ECO SYSTEM
1.
Incentives & Awards
2.
Innovation clusters at universities
3.
Innovative business clusters
4.
Innovation in MSMEs
5.
Organisational Autonomy & Flexibility
6.
Policies & Programmes
7.
New Institutions
8.
Risk/ Venture Capital
9.
IPR/ Patents
10. Web & ICT as tools
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STRATEGY
 Focus on DRIVERS
1.
Multidisciplinary
2.
Collaborative
3.
Disruptive
4.
Generational Change vs. Incremental Change
5.
Durable vs. Disposable
6.
Need vs. Demand
7.
Nature as Nurture
8.
Locally Relevant
9.
Globally Connected and Competitive
10. Focus at the Edge
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STRATEGY
 Expand Space for Discourse on Innovation in the country by:
1.
Discussions
2.
Debates
3.
Seminars
4.
Conferences
5.
Best Practices
6.
Subversive Dialogue
7.
Irreverent Dialogue
8.
New Ideas
9.
Media
10. Innovation Portal
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Disparity
Demography
- Rich & Poor
- Urban & rural
- Educated &
Uneducated
- 550 million below 25
years
- Health, Nutrition
- Education, Jobs
Development
- Expedite the process &
create new methods &
new models
MULTIPLE DEMANDS
 Female literacy
 Infant mortality
 Water & Sanitation
 Food & Nutrition
 Health for all
 Education for all
 Alternate energy
 Droughts & Floods
 Security & Safety
MULTIPLE DEMANDS
 Scientific Temper
 Implementation
 Improved services
 Better Governance
 District level Development
 Maintenance
 Dignity of Labor
 Process Re-engineering…
 And More…..
ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY
access
Technology as a tool
for problem solving
Technology an entry
point to increase
delivery
efficiency
service
productivity
transparency
ROLE OF GOVERNMENT
 Government can:
 Drive innovation through education policy and skill development
 Improve governance and re-engineer public service delivery by
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innovating within its own structures
Create a roadmap for Inclusive Innovation
Facilitate connections between universities, manufacturers, users
and regulators
Drive high quality research, basic research & Business Innovations
Bring appropriate Defense research to consumer market
Promote Innovative Policies & Places
Provide appropriate infrastructures
Facilitate exchange of innovations between public and private
sectors
Initiate Nation wide innovation movement
SOME INNOVATIVE INITIATIVES BY GOVERNMENT
Right to Information
Right to Education
NREGA
Mid Day Meal
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
National Knowledge
Commission
Aadhar/ UID
Proposed Food
Security Bill
Administrative
Reforms Committee
and more
Need improved processes, coordination, collaboration,
communication & implementation
National Innovation
Council
International
Collaborations
State/
Sectoral Innovation
Councils
National Innovation
Portal
Outreach
Action Plan
Multiple Roadmaps
Eco System
Inclusive
Innovation
Fund
Collaboration,
Training & Support
University
Innovation Centers
Innovation
Clusters
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CONSULTATIONS
 Government
 Political Parties
 Ministry of S&T
 Science Advisory Council to the PM
 HRD
 Ministry of Information and
Communications Technology
 Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare
 Ministry of Railways
 Ministry of Law and Justice
 NIC
 Planning Commission
 PMO
 State Governments
 Professionals
 Indian Science Community and
associations
 Indian Industry Associations – CII,
FICCI, AIMA, etc.
 Think Tanks and Innovation
Organizations
 NGOs
 Multilateral Agencies
 Regional/ National/ International
Consultations
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UNIQUE WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
 Redefine Innovation Paradigm beyond R&D
 Focus on Inclusive Innovations
 Create innovation roadmaps across sectors
 Create necessary ecosystem, talent & funding
 Use ICT/Web as entry point for delivery
 Build scalable and sustainable Indian model
10 HP Mini Tractor
Motor Protection Device
The only one of its kind multifeature protection device
•Prevents motors from burn-outs
from 21 potential fault conditions
which can occur like:
Overheating
Dry run
Phase reversal
Voltage fluctuations
Provides earth protection and
auto starter
•Suitable for working with motors
from 3HP to 100 HP range
•Modular design, therefore ease in
customization
Buttonhole Making Machine
•Radically simple design
ensuring high degree of
maintainability
•Designed with the tailoring
business in mind
•Capacity of 100-120
buttonholes per hour
•Full shuttle mechanism with 96
stitches per buttonhole
•The technology is at incubation
stage and needs design and
technology value addition
Motorcycle Driven Plough
•Attachment which converts a
motorcycle into a “mini-tractor”
•Capable of doing agriculture
operations like:
Cultivating
Ploughing
Spraying (with a special
attachment)
•Easy assembly and
disengagement - convertibility
time about 15 minutes
•A highly economical machine
for small farmers and ideal for
bullet owners
•Immense market opportunity given the
large number of bullet motorcycles
operational in villages of India
•Price of the attachment – Rs. 20,000
WHAT A PARTICIPANT IS REQUIRED TO
DO :
 To pick up any such grassroots innovation
 Brief description about the process or scientific principle laying behind
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the technology
It’s advantages , limitations & constraints.
How that technology can be up scaled or the potential areas of its
application
What technical or any other improvements could be possible ( if at all
possible)
Economics of the operation (/installation)
Whether the technology is sustainable!
WEBSITES
 Official website: www.iii.gov.in
 National Innovation Council: www.innovationcouncil.gov.in
 National Knowledge Commission: www.knowledgecommission.gov.in
 National Knowledge Network: http://www.nkn.in/
Portals
 National Innovation Portal: www.innovation.gov.in
 India Biodiversity Portal: www.indiabiodiversity.org
 Teachers of India: www.teachersofindia.org
 India Environment Portal: www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in
 India Energy Portal: www.indiaenergyportal.org
 India Water Portal: www.indiawaterportal.org
Social Media:
 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Delhi-India/Adviser-to-the-PM-onPublic-Information-Infrastructure-and-Innovations/100738043327407?v=wall
 Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/iii
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THANK YOU
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