New Delhi: The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has invited applications from startups and firms for developing new applied sciences and modern merchandise to tackle the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under NIDHI4COVID2.0 initiative by the DST, corporations and startups registered in India, providing promising options within the thrust areas of oxygen innovation, transportable resolution, related medical equipment, diagnostic, informatics, or every other resolution that addresses or mitigates varied challenges confronted by the nation or society due to the severity are eligible for funding.
“As a rapid response to support startup-driven solutions for tackling the current challenging, the second wave of COVID 2.0 in the country, Indian startups and companies have been invited to apply for developing new technologies and innovative products that can enable our country to fight the crisis,” the DST mentioned.
The initiative is a particular drive of the National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB) below the DST for supporting indigenous options and modern merchandise to fight the disaster the nation is presently dealing with due to the pandemic.
“Development and manufacturing (import substitution) of the products parts currently being imported for the devices like oxygen concentrators would also be considered for seed support through the DST supported-network of Technology Business Incubations (TBIs),” it mentioned.
Promising startups can be supplied with monetary and mentoring help for scaling up their merchandise or applied sciences to the subsequent stage and rushing up their processes, serving to them attain the product deployment stage as quick as attainable, it added.
This initiative has been constructed based mostly on the NSTEDB’s previous expertise of implementing the Centre for Augmenting WAR with COVID-19 Health Crisis (CAWACH) and likewise by means of particular calls by means of the National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations – Seed Support System (NIDHI-SSS) from TBI to help startups in 2020.
“Supporting development of devices like oxygen concentrators also brings with it huge opportunities in the development and manufacturing of several critical components that are being imported such as specialised valves, zeolite materials, oil-less and noiseless miniaturised compressors, gas sensors, which have wider applications in several sectors,” mentioned Prof Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, DST.
“Interested applicants offering promising solutions can apply through the centralised portal www.Dstnidhi4covid.In latest by 31.05.2021 23.59 hrs,” the DST added.Â
