The first meeting of the National Innovation Council (NInC) was held on 9th September 2010 at 11.00 hrs in the Planning Commission to discuss the key initiatives that NInC would focus in its effort to chart a roadmap for the ‘Decade of Innovation’.

I. Consensus on Basic Direction

There was general agreement at the meeting that NInC would be an enabler for promoting an innovation movement in the country. Its initiatives would focus on inclusive innovation and catalyse an ecosystem and culture of innovation across sectors.

After a brief presentation on the strategy of NInC highlighting the five aspects of platform, inclusion, eco-system, drivers and discourse, a review of the key ideas discussed in informal meetings earlier was conducted.

II. Tasks Identified for Action

1. A focus on the learning agenda of NInC to be provided. (Mr. R. Gopalakrishnan, Tata Sons)

2. NInC to request State Chief Ministers to set up State Innovation Councils. (Chairman to write letters to the CMs)

3. For Sectoral Innovation Councils a list of preliminary sectors to be circulated to members of the Council for vetting. Next steps would involve instituting processes for identifying domain experts in the respective sectors in consultation with Ministries. (Office of Adviser to PM on PIII to coordinate)

4. A plan for measuring outcomes of NInC to be proposed. (Mr. Kiran Karnik)

5. Detailed modalities of the proposed Inclusive Innovation Fund, structured as a Fund of Funds, to be worked out by Mr Saurabh Srivastava, Mr Arun Maira and Mr Sam Pitroda. It would focus on funding inclusive innovations aimed at generating solutions for the bottom of the pyramid.

It was suggested that the Fund could have two streams. The first would open up to the public at large for ideas for inclusive innovation (could be named Bharat Nirman Innovation Fund to drive home the point on inclusiveness). The second would identify 5 to 6 national challenges (India Innovation Challenge Fund). These national challenges would be identified in consultation with experts or alternatively by issuing an advertisement calling upon people to identify 6 major national challenges requiring innovation. These could also go out to major educational/ research organisations as
fliers etc. Advertisements can be done through DAVP.

One national challenge should be to create a ‘Gram Swaraj Portal’ as core content for rural broadband that will connect all 250,000 Panchayats in the next 24 months. It will be in all major Indian languages. The core content will include information support for employment, education, health, upgrading skills of grassroots functionaries, real time feedback on delivery of public services, computer-based literacy testing programmes, e-library at the Panchayat level for continuing education, crowd sourcing for evaluation of flagship programmes etc. A large number of public functionaries and NGOs are expected to contribute/ co-create the portal.

(Mr. R. Gopalakrishnan, PMO to be the point person)

6. A plan for fostering a spirit of competitiveness in the innovation space through awards and incentives has been worked out by Mr Ramesh Mashelkar. His proposal of commemorating 24th July as a National Innovation Day to be discussed by the Council and action taken to institute awards.

7. Key inputs for making India as an attractive hub for cross-border collaborations for innovations was suggested. A proposal for making clinical trials part of the curriculum of medical students to also be submitted.

(Ms. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw)

8. Proposal for re-working and strengthening proposal for setting up 20 innovation clusters, especially with a focus on Innovation Tool Kits required to stimulate the innovation eco-system in these hubs to be submitted. These clusters would be chosen bearing in mind clusters funded by the Government.

(CII and FICCI)

9. A proposal for the abovementioned Innovation Tool Kit to be submitted by Mr. Sam Pitroda.

10. A proposal for creating innovation centres in universities for promoting a culture of innovation in academia as well as for creating industry-academia linkages to be developed.

(Dr. Sanjay Dhande)

11. Key inputs for instituting innovation outreach/ ideas at the grassroots level to besubmitted.

(Dr. Anil Gupta)

12. Learnings from Israel’s Systematic Innovation model to be submitted.

(Mr. Saurabh Srivastava)

13. A Plan for scalability of innovations in the country to be outlined.

(Dr. Brahmachari)

14. A concept for a television reality show on innovations as well as an implementation plan for the same to be outlined. Inputs on creating virtual innovation clusters in the country to be submitted.

(Mr. Shekhar Kapur)

15. A concept note on innovation metrics for deliverables to be submitted.

(Mr. Naushad Forbes)
16. Dr. Kasturirangan apprised the Council of the work he had been doing on Innovations in the three strategic departments of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Department of Space (DoS) and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). To be documented and presented to the Council at its next meeting.

17. A decision was collectively taken by NInC to ask special invitees working in areas related to the council’s work to make presentations on specific topics. In the future a presentation on patents would be requested for, after the Council’s view on the same has been outlined.

The next meeting of the Council is tentatively scheduled for the first half of November 2010.

(A) The following members attended the meeting:

1. Sam Pitroda, Adviser to the PM (PIII) (Chairman)

2. Mr. Arun Maira, Member, Planning Commission

3. Dr. K. Kasturirangan, Member, Planning Commission

4. Dr. Ramesh Mashelkar, Chairman, National Innovation Foundation

5. R. Gopalakrishnan, Executive Director, Tata Sons

6. Mr. Shekhar Kapur, Film Director and Producer

7. Mr. Kiran Karnik, Former President, NASSCOM

8. Mr. Anil K Gupta, Executive Vice Chair, National Innovation Foundation

9. Mr. Saurabh Srivastava, Chairman, CA Technologies

10. Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairman and MD, Biocon

11. Dr. Samir Brahmachari, Director General, CSIR

12. Mr. Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII

13. Mr. Sanjay Dhande, Director, IIT Kanpur

14. Mr. R. Gopalakrishnan, Additional Secretary, PMO (Member Secretary)

(B) The following members could not attend:

1. Dr. Devi Shetty, Founder, Narayana Hrudayalaya
2. Dr. Sujatha Ramdorai, Professor, TIFR
3. Dr. Amit Mitra, Secretary General, FICCI