ST Microelectronics-NIF to support tech innvoation in India's hinterland

STMicroelectronics has joined hands with National Innovation Foundation (NIF) under the aegis of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, to support technological innovation in rural India.

Under the partnership, NIF will emphasize complete product development, while ST will validate and develop electronic solutions for some of the innovative ideas and convert them into value-added technologies/products.

ST will help NIF and other network members convert technological inventions conceived within the ‘Honey Bee’ network of like-minded individuals, innovators, farmers, scholars, academicians, policy makers, entrepreneurs, and NGOs, into the mainstream business. 

Honey Bee collects ideas from all over India through a drive called ShodhYatra and brings rural innovation to light, besides mobilizing ideas of technology students from hundreds of colleges across India through techpedia.in.

Anil Gupta, founder and executive vice chairperson, NIF, said, “One of the challenges ahead of us is to democratize design thinking and innovation to generate interesting electronics applications from the grassroots levels and make them marketable. The partnership with STMicroelectronics is set to become a tour-de-force creating links and synergies from 600 districts of India to the global marketplace. This partnership will aim to move backyard inventions beyond the crude prototype stage and to further enhance innovations across the country by creating networks of electronic excellence.”

“Our effort with the National Innovation Foundation is in line with ST’s culture of community-spiritedness — equipping local communities with the skills required to succeed in today’s knowledge-based economy. This gives us a great opportunity to support and incubate grassroots innovations with a focus on encouraging
future-oriented, trend-spotting electronics designs that, ideally, serve the nation and world at large,” said Vivek Sharma, regional vice president, Greater China and South Asia Region - India Operations, director India Design Centers, STMicroelectronics.