Experts recommended 24 start-ups for technical as well as financial support from a total fund of Rs 20 Cr allocated for accelerating promising ideas, innovations, and technologies, at the ATMAN 2023 programme organised by the Department of Science & Technology (DST) and four Technology Innovation Hubs set up under the National Mission on Inter-disciplinary Cyber Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) at four IITs-- Ropar, Bombay, Indore and Kharagpur.
They were recommended by the jury from among 55 startups who presented their innovative solutions, at the five panels on precision farming, agro IoT and agri 4.0; mechanisation and automation; market intelligence and yield prediction and farm advisory and communication, organised as part of the ATMAN 2023 programme. Top pitch of the sessions were selected and awarded with best pitch award while 20 key agri-tech technologies developed by the four TIHs were showcased at the exhibition organised during the programme.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science and Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh who inaugurated the ATMAN programme called for wider synergy among the Research, Academia, StartUps and Industry for having a win-win proposition not only for innovative product development, but also for effective national and global branding and marketing.
Secretary DST, Dr Rajesh Gokhle pointed out that by supporting development and commercialization of innovative technologies/products/services in hassle free manner the ATMAN prograrme can facilitate the success of the technology start-ups in AgriTech marketplace. “It can also give an opportunity to start-ups to exhibit and demonstrate their technologies to potential stakeholders from government and industry, “he added.
“In agriculture deep tech startups & innovation is not very common. In India, about 100000 startup’s in which 15000 are working on tech, out of this 3000 are in deep tech, 142 worked in agriculture area. Now 60 more will be added from this ATMAN program. These 4 TIHs are trying to create intervention across the country and also planning to associate some agriculture universities & colleges in future,” said Dr Akhilesh Gupta, Senior Adviser DST and Secretary SERB.
During the programme a Grand Challenge & Competition (GCC) was launched by Technology and Innovation Hub for Internet of Things (IoT) at IIT Bombay for providing a platform where visionary thinkers can craft innovative, modular, and cost-effective solutions to develop IoT Technologies for interconnecting water, land, and air; SAMRIDHI 2.0 or Strategic Acceleration for Market, Research, Innovation & Development’: a Holistic Initiative for ICPS Startups under NM – ICPS, was launched by IIT Ropar Technology and Innovation Hub : Agriculture and Water Technology Development Hub (AWaDH) while Quantum Enabled Science and Technology (QuEST) compendium and an ATMAN booklet were released.
