UK brings Innovation Challenge Fund initiative in India to support future mobility projects in Maharashtra

The UK government launched a 4 million pound sterling (Rs 36 crore) ‘Innovation Challenge Fund’ in India for supporting collaborative research into emerging technologies.

The programme will encourage industry and academia to collaborate and develop tech solutions to solve social, economic and environmental challenges in India. The initiative is focused on two major tech clusters: AI/Data in Karnataka and Future Mobility in Maharashtra.

The final entries will get support from international partners, including from the United Kingdom. The Innovation Challenge Fund is one of several exciting new initiatives of the UK-India Tech Partnership. The partnership – a world first – was agreed by the Prime Minister of Indian and his British counterpart with a vision of unleashing the potential of emerging technologies to support innovation, growth, and jobs in both countries.

The initiative has called upon interested parties to send proposals for the following Challenge Areas in India:

• Safety and Convenience (eg. for road users, elderly/disabled mobility and safety, emergency transport and behaviour change).
• Technology Leap (eg. energy storage tech, temperature controlled transport, drone mobility).
• Connectivity (eg. first mile/last mile, multi modal hubs, micro mobility/village to village mobility).
• Recycling and upgrading (eg. waste to road materials, conversion/retrofit).
• Smart mobility (eg. intelligent transport systems, urban freight, automated parking).
• Other proposals that will be consider include projects which do not fit into the above categories but provides focus on future mobility.

Complete details on the application and shortlist process for the Innovation Challenge Fund can be accessed by clicking here.

Commenting on the initiative, British Deputy High Commissioner to India, Jan Thompson said: “The UK technology sector is a huge success story and its products have an incredible power to improve people’s lives. I am delighted to announce the launch of this important fund which shows the UK and India working together as a force for good to address the key challenges facing India today. The UK and India are leaders in the development and use of digital tech, and there is a huge amount we can learn from each other and big opportunities to join forces.”

Karen McLuskie, Head of the UK-India Tech Partnership said: “At this event we make good on the instructions of the Indian and UK Prime Ministers to ‘bring together some of the best minds on tech’ to address the global challenges that affect us all, and realise the potential of innovation to drive growth for the benefit of everyone.  When we bring our different strengths and perspectives together, we become a powerful force for good in the world.”