The magic mantra for most successful corporate houses seems to be “cheaper, quicker, better”. But is there any scope to integrate technology with innovation to fuel inclusive growth? India is considered to be one of the emerging superpowers of the future but needs to put in place that culture of innovation - an ecosystem which will help promote innovation.
“The greatest thing is to use more innovatively what exists. Creating a product through R&D is very difficult, very expensive but very necessary. And using R&D to come up with something new is one thing; using something that exists to come up with a new product - that's innovation. That's the challenge,” says Kiran Karnik, a member of the Prime Minister's National Innovation Council (NIC) and the former President of Nasscom (now its trustee).
The NIC has already tried to change things by converting ideas and innovations into a commercial success in the country through a reality show. Venture capital and marketing support will be available to all the ideas and innovations that people can come up with. In order to get mass-based viewership for the reality show; the NIC has reportedly tied up with Doordarshan.
Recently in Kolkata, Kiran Karnik spoke to
Below are excerpts from the discussion:
eW : There were plans to air a reality show to promote the culture of innovation across the country. How are things shaping up and when will the show be aired?
KK : One of the first things that we (NIC) want to do is spread the culture of innovation in the country. Quite a bit (of innovation) already exists in terms of finding a solution for a problem. For example if there is a traffic jam on the road, we look for alternative routes including two-way traffic on on side of the road. But you need an ecosystem that promotes and supports innovation. One of the things that we are thinking of is how we can do that.
We realised that reality shows were gaining in popularity and would enable us to bring in real life examples and also create a bit of a contest amongst the participants. We have a team working on it. We have Shekhar Kapur as part of the innovation council and he is a very creative guy. The reality show is a work in progress. But discussions are taking place and we might even launch something in the next couple of months. The show will focus on innovators in both rural and urban areas who will showcase their creations. The idea is to not only give that person due recognition and visibility but also to inspire him or her as a role model for others.
eW : How will the proposed Meta University – which allows students flexibility in designing their curriculum and pursuing subjects of their choice – work?
KK : This is being discussed (by the NIC). Today, if you want to take a course in Calcutta University and one from the Delhi School of Economics, you cannot combine these. The idea is, can we create a system where a student who wants to take diverse courses actually get credit and a degree?
Obviously there are factors to be considered like the number of credits required and how you can qualify. So we won't really create anything with this Meta University concept, just provide the technological platform for people to be able to access these courses from wherever they are. IGNOUalready does this to a certain extent, but only for their own courses.
Obviously this is complicated because you have to tie up with all the universities. It's not easy at all. It is being discussed globally but has not taken shape anywhere. We want to be the first to do this.
eW : What are the NIC's plans for education and social sectors?
KK : In education, the focus is much more on basic education in school and how students benefit from it. We have had a lot of discussion but nothing concrete has emerged on bringing innovation to the style of teaching in schools.
We have considered how technology can aid better teaching methods and help teachers. Teachers get cut-off (socially) and we want to connect them to a community through an interface. We are trying to install optical fibres in every Panchayat. That can be used to create a technological platform for the teacher by using Facebook, Skype, a video conferencing facility, and even for sending data or sharing presentations. We want to build this network for teachers from different primary schools. But I should tell you that these are ideas we are looking at. None of them have actually been executed yet.
eW : Are there any other ideas or plans in the pipeline that are being discussed for consideration?
KK : We have talked about a number of ideas and one of them is to introduce a system of rewards based on a challenge (for innovation). Although this has been implemented in some countries it has not been tried out in India. For example, in the US there is a big prize for a private entrepreneur who sends the first vehicle into space. And people are actually taking part!
What we (at the NIC) are saying is that we should pick up some great challenges and energise our country to come up with new ideas. One such idea would be how to use the post office. It is the most widespread institution in the country. Most people tend to repeat previously tried ideas and that's why we want to reach out to a wider audience.
In Pakistan (Karachi), a simple "wash your hands" campaign was able to reduce infant mortality rate substantially by nearly 20 per cent. Maybe we can use the postman - a trusted person - for passing on healthcare messages.