New Delhi: The IIT Madras Global Research Foundation (IITM Global) has launched Bharat Ascend, a 365-day national innovation initiative that aims to identify 100 high-potential ideas from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities and emerging innovation ecosystems across India.
Launched in Delhi on Friday, the initiative is being led by IITM Global in partnership with Ideabaaz. It is designed to support selected ideas through different stages of development, from validation and prototyping to pilots, investor readiness and access to international markets.
The initiative was announced in the presence of Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary, who congratulated IITM Global on the launch.
In a message read out at the event, Chaudhary said entrepreneurship opportunities should extend beyond India’s major metropolitan centres.
“India’s next chapter will be written not just by those who find jobs but by those who create them,” he said, adding that young people in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities should have opportunities to build products with global potential.
Five-stage innovation pathway
Bharat Ascend will follow a five-stage process — Discover, Nurture, Accelerate, Empower and Impact — to move selected innovations from ideation and validation towards market deployment.
As part of its first-year targets, the initiative plans to:
Discover 100 innovations
Provide structured mentoring to 50 innovations
Support 25 solutions towards functional prototypes or MVPs
Enable 15 real-world pilots or customer validations
Take 10 ventures towards investor readiness
Connect more than five ventures with international markets or strategic partners
The programme will focus on sectors including agriculture, healthcare, education, climate, mobility, manufacturing, energy, financial inclusion and emerging technologies.
Prof V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said the initiative was intended to provide opportunities for ideas originating outside established metropolitan innovation hubs.
“Ideas are not just restricted to the metropolis or cities. It can come out from any part of our country. We need to provide a platform that will democratise the opportunities for these ideas to get converted into products,” he said.
IIT Madras to provide technology and research support
IITM Global, the international arm of IIT Madras, will bring the institute’s research capabilities, deep-tech expertise, industry relationships and international networks to the initiative.
Prof Preeti Aghalayam, Dean (Global Engagement), IIT Madras, said Bharat Ascend would seek to connect innovators from different parts of India with knowledge, industry and international opportunities.
Thirumalai Madhavnarayan, CEO and Director, IITM Global, said the initiative would measure outcomes through indicators including prototypes developed, pilots conducted, customers acquired, capital raised and innovations taken to global markets.
Ideabaaz will support the initiative’s outreach across emerging innovation ecosystems.
Mudit Kumar, COO and Co-founder, Ideabaaz, said the initiative would focus on identifying innovators outside traditional startup hubs and connecting them with mentorship, technology, market access and capital.
The organisers said corporates, investors, universities, mentors and government bodies would also be invited to participate by providing industry mentorship, pilot opportunities, investment and market access.
Bharat Ascend will run for 365 days from its launch, with the organisers positioning the initiative as a model for identifying and developing entrepreneurial and technological talent beyond India’s established startup centres
