IIT Palakkad launches Oorja Grand Challenge to boost innovations, research and development in energy sector

 IIT Palakkad's Technology IHub Foundation (IPTIF) has launched a national grand challenge titled "Oorja Grand Challenge" to boost innovations, research and development in the energy sector.

The IPTIF, an innovation ecosystem within the IIT campus here, said the challenge is a pre-incubation activity to pave the way for innovation in the national and global energy sector.

"The prize money could be up to Rs 1.5 lakh for designing after shortlisting, up to Rs 10 lakh for prototyping after design review and up to Rs 25 lakh for incubation after prototype review," IPTIF said in a release.

It said the "Oorja Grand Challenge" aims to enable innovators to design and develop intelligent collaborative systems in the energy domain.

Students, researchers and entrepreneurs can form teams with the ability to lead fundamental research, product development, industry development, and job creation for Indian and global energy sectors, it said.

The last date to apply is March 1 and those interested can apply through the following link: https://tinyurl.com/Oorja-Challenge-registration "We are also looking at energy generation technologies that are greener (like solar thermal, and wind, among others), with high power/energy density (similar to Nuclear reactors), and are safe to use (Ex: better nuclear storage/usage, better hydroelectric planning to avoid flooding risks)," Harilal Bhaskar, General Manager of IPTIF, said.

Established by IIT Palakkad to enable a vibrant innovation ecosystem and provide a reliable platform for technology-based start-ups and entrepreneurs, IPTIF is a Section-8 company supported with a Rs 100 Crore-support from Department of Science and Technology (DST).

Through the challenge, IPTIF aims to discover and nurture new, innovative, viable, and sustainable technology solutions for significant energy challenges that are faced by India. PTI RRT RRT SS SS