NEW DELHI, Nov 6: Union minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday gave the Gandhian Young Technological Awards to students and researchers, and said innovations and scientific solutions are essential for transforming the lives of people.
Fourteen awards and eleven appreciation awards were given under SITARE-GYTI Students Innovations for Advancement of Research Explorations - Gandhian Young Technological Innovation (SITARE-GYTI) while 16 appreciation awards were given under Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technological Innovations-Gandhian Young Technological Innovation (SRISTI-GYTI).
The awardees were selected after a rigorous review process by eminent professors and scientists in their respective fields, a statement by the Ministry of Science and Technology said.
The awards and appreciations are given under these two categories to encourage technology students to move towards setting up biotech and other start-ups.
Vardhan congratulated all the students and exhorted them to address the unmet social, industrial and environmental needs and to create widespread awareness about the same.
More than Rs 10 crores worth of other awards and investment have been mobilised by the SITARE-GYTI winners so far besides 89 publications, and 39 patents being under progress," he said.
When we are celebrating 150 years of the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, GYTI awards are a fitting tribute to his legacy of using Science & Technology to solve societal problems, the minister added.
Vardhan said several reforms were being undertaken to improve the funding of research with special attention to the needs of young students, women scholars and others.
He also advised the innovators to avail of the incubators set up by Department of Biotechnology, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and help India move towards Atmanirbharta (self-reliance).
Under SITARE-GYTI awards, 250 entries from student innovators with potential for biotech and life science start-ups were received in six categories from 96 universities and institutes across 23 states and union territories.
More than 700 entries were received under SRISTI-GYTI in 42 technology domains from 270 universities and institutes belonging to 27 states and union territories.
The online evaluation of the shortlisted entries was undertaken by the experts.
The evaluation committee, in addition to many others, included hundreds of very eminent experts including vice chancellors of universities, directors and faculty of IIT, IISc, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), DBT, CSIR, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutions, the statement added. - PTI
