Ahmedabad, 19 November 2014

Former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam today awarded a total of 28 students from 22 districts of 15 States and Union Territories for their ideas/innovations (total 22) at IIM Ahmedabad. An exhibition for all award winning ideas was held at the venue.

National Innovation Foundation – India (NIF) presents the IGNITE Awards every year. IGNITE is a national competition of original technological ideas and innovations of children in or out of school (upto class 12 or the age of 17 years only).

Over 27000 submissions of students from 359 districts of 35 States & Union Territories of the country were received during the competition, which ran from September 1, 2013 to August 31, 2014. The IGNITE competition is organised by NIF in association with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Society for Research and Initiatives in Sustainable Technologies and Institutions (SRISTI), and other partners. A number of other State Educational Boards viz. Directorate of Higher Education, Himachal Pradesh, Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, Council of Higher Secondary Education, Manipur, Haryana Board of School Education, Nagaland Board of School Education, Mizoram Board of School Education also actively promoted the IGNITE campaign. The awards of IGNITE competition are announced every year on October 15th, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam’s birthday, which is celebrated as the Children’s Creativity and Innovation Day by NIF.

NIF will file patents in all applicable cases in the name of the students and will also engage designers/fabricators to develop prototypes of the students’ ideas.

NIF, an autonomous body of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, has been actively engaged in promoting creativity and innovation in our society through volunteers of Honey Bee Network and other like-minded individuals and organizations. IGNITE is an effort to focus primarily on the creativity of the children and promoting original inclusive and compassionate thinking among them.