NEW DELHI - The Department of Science and Technology (DST) Monday launched the India Innovation Initiative (i3) in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and communication analyst Agilent Technologies.

Under the initiative, DST will launch a nation-wide competition of technology-based ideas in which innovators above 18 years of age can participate.

The participants can submit their project proposals by May 30, 2009.

‘The DST receives plenty of ideas to develop through its national innovation fund (NIF). A select few can be worked out and developed into commercially viable innovations that can address pertinent problems like climate change, water scarcity or other such concerns,’ Anuj Sinha, the head of science communication division at DST, said.

The proposals will be judged by an expert panel of scientists and industrialists. ‘Original, applicable and commercially viable innovations will be chosen to enter the i3 national fair to be held in August this year,’ Sinha said.

The Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad has also been roped in to mentor and incubate the top 10 technology related innovations short-listed thereafter. Funding and commercialisation support will also be offered to the innovator from the i3 partners, he said.

Added T. Ramasami, secretary at DST: ‘While Agilent technologies will take care of the risk reduction process assessing and sifting ideas, CII will promote innovation in the industrial enterprises.’

According to Y.S. Rajan, principal advisor of CII, the programme is ‘all about taking science to the common man’.

The challenge is to ensure that the innovations are commercially viable, he said.