CSR: Samsung Launches Season Two of ‘Solve for Tomorrow’, a National Innovation Competition

Samsung India has announced it has partnered with Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology’s (MeitY’s) Startup Hub and Foundation for Innovation & Technology Transfer (FITT), IIT Delhi for the second season of its national education and innovation competition Samsung Solve for Tomorrow that was launched today. With Solve for Tomorrow, Samsung aims to usher in a culture of innovative thinking and problem-solving amongst the country’s youth.

The second season of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow was inaugurated by Mr Alkesh Kumar Sharma, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) and Mr. JongBum Park, President & CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia in the presence of other dignitaries.

The flagship CSR program of India’s largest electronics brand recognizes the power of innovative solutions and their ability to transform lives, making a strong social impact, and strengthens Samsung’s vision of #PoweringDigitalIndia.

The first season of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow in 2022 received over 18,000 registrations from youth across the country. Two of the top three winning teams of season one have incorporated their companies while one is currently in the process of doing it.

This year, anyone in India aged 16-22 years can participate in the program by sending their innovative tech-enabled ideas that will transform the lives of people. The ideas should be under the themes – Education & Learning, Environment & Sustainability, Health & Wellness and Diversity & Inclusion. Participants can apply for Samsung Solve for Tomorrow starting April 04, 2023 till 5 pm on May 31, 2023.

The top three teams will win INR 1.5 crore to turn their ideas into action while others participants who reach top 30 and top 10 will be rewarded at various stages of the program.

The top 30 teams (individuals or teams of up to 3 members) will be trained and mentored by Samsung’s partners – Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT Delhi) and MeitY Startup Hub at a residential bootcamp at IIT Delhi, helping participants enhance their ideas. They will also get INR 20,000 each to create initial prototypes and then pitch their ideas to a jury of young Samsung employees and experts from FITT, IIT Delhi and MeitY Startup Hub. This jury will select the top 10 teams for the finale.

These teams will also get the opportunity to visit Samsung India offices, its R&D centres, design centre, and Samsung Opera House in Bengaluru where they will interact with young Samsung employees and researchers.

The top 10 teams will get an additional INR 100,000 each to enhance their prototypes before the final pitch. They will be mentored by young Samsung employees who will handhold them in various areas including tech, design, marketing and policy.

The annual program will end with the grand announcement of three national winners who stand a chance to win INR 1.5 crore in prize money and exciting Samsung products.

Mr. Alkesh Kumar Sharma, Secretary, MeitY, said, “The vision of the Government of India is to promote a vibrant ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country, and youth are at the centre of this. They need all the support and mentoring that can help them turn their ideas into reality, creating a strong social impact along the way. The coming together of Samsung, IIT Delhi and MeitY Startup Hub for the Solve for Tomorrow program is a very positive move that will work towards realizing our vision.”

Mr. JongBum Park, President & CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia, said, “At Samsung, we inspire the world and shape the future with transformative ideas and technologies. Our business is all about igniting the next generation of innovators and changemakers. The entries we got in the first season of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow provided us with a unique snapshot of the concerns and issues on the minds of India’s youth. They looked at issues ranging from waste management, electricity and water wastage, plastic waste, speech disorders as well as pandemic prediction and solutions that use new-age technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence and augmented reality.”

“Giving youth a voice in real-life issues affecting communities around them allows them to see firsthand the change they can create in the world. With Samsung Solve for Tomorrow, we want to give youth that opportunity and also play our part in strengthening the innovation ecosystem in the country, taking forward the vision of the Government and our own vision of Powering Digital India,” he said.

The first season of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow got over 18,000 registrations from youth across the country. Among the winners, Sputnik Brain’s Shankar Srinivasan, a 22-year-old from Bengaluru, presented a wearable device that helps reduce stress using safe brain modulation while the all-girl trio of Prisha Dubey, Anupriya Nayak and Vanalika Konwar of Udaan, 16-year-olds from Port Blair and Delhi, developed eco-friendly, affordable and washable sanitary pads using shredded sugarcane bagasse. 16-year-old Hemesh Chadalavada of Alpha Monitor from Hyderabad developed a smart wristband to monitor Alzheimer’s patients and alert their caregivers about changes in their behaviour.

“We are happy to partner with Samsung to enable young innovators to convert their ideas into solutions for real world problems through the ‘Solve for Tomorrow’ competition,” said Prof. Rangan Banerjee, Director, IIT Delhi.

“There is great potential among youth across India, especially those in the smaller towns and villages. They have the ability to find unique solutions to the complex problems that we face today. We look forward to working with Samsung on the Solve for Tomorrow program to train young people and help them scale new heights,” said Mr. Jeet Vijay, CEO, MeitY Startup Hub.

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow at a Glance

Who can participate: 16-22 year-olds, individually or in teams of up to 3

Application themes: Education & Learning, Environment & Sustainability, Health & Wellness and Diversity & Inclusion

What will they get: Online training, Bootcamp at IIT Delhi, mentoring & training from Samsung, IIT Delhi,
and MeitY Startup Hub

What do winners get: Total of INR 1.5 crore to 3 winning teams and exciting Samsung products that will boost their productivity

Where can they apply: www.samsung.com/in/solvefortomorrow

From when: Starting April 04, 2023

Till when: Till 5 pm on May 31, 2023

Program Details

Application Window – Round One

Individuals or teams of up to three can submit their applications where they will chose the theme, elaborate on the problem they are solving, the proposed solution and its social impact.

A jury comprising subject matter experts from FITT, IIT Delhi will shortlist the top 30 teams from among all the applications received. This will be based on selection criteria that includes the best use of technology (app, product or service), creativity, originality of idea, feasibility of the solution with current technology, potential to positively impact society or the environment and the potential to reach its intended target audience.

Idea Development – Round Two

In this round, the top 30 shortlisted teams will attend a five-day bootcamp at the IIT Delhi campus where they will receive training on Design Thinking by FITT, IIT Delhi and on innovation & IPR, patents from MeitY Startup Hub.

Each team will get INR 20,000 to create initial prototypes and then pitch their ideas to a jury comprising of young Samsung employees and experts from FITT, IIT Delhi, MeitY Startup Hub and Atal Innovation Mission at the bootcamp who will select the top 10 teams.

These 30 teams will also visit Samsung India offices, its R&D centres, design centre, and Samsung Opera House in Bengaluru where they will interact with young Samsung employees and researchers.

Each member of the top 30 teams will get a certificate for attending the bootcamp, a Samsung Galaxy Book laptop and Galaxy Buds.

Final Prototype Building – Round Three

In this round, the top 10 teams will get INR 100,000 each to enhance their prototypes based on the feedback from jury members as well as mentors. They will also be mentored by Samsung employees from various domains as well as domain experts from IIT Delhi.

At the end of this round, the teams will submit their final prototypes and prepare for a live presentation where they will pitch their ideas at the Finale Event before an eminent jury.

Each member of the top 10 teams will get a certificate and a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip smartphone.

The top three winning teams of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow season two will win a total prize money of INR 1.5 crore, getting them one step closer to turn their ideas into action, helping address India’s key concerns in the theme areas of Education & Learning, Environment & Sustainability, Health & Wellness and Diversity & Inclusion.

Application entry closes at 5 pm on May 31, 2023.

First launched in the US in 2010, Solve for Tomorrow is currently operational in 63 countries globally and has seen over 2.3 million young people participate worldwide.

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