Tata Communications CII to Launch The Grand India IoT Innovation Challenge Winners to Get Cash Prizes – BW Disrupt

Tata Communications has partnered with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and used the platform of HackerEarth, to launch a 3-month long hackathon, called, ‘The Grand India IoT Innovation Challenge’ (#giiotic), for engineering students from 26 select colleges and universities across India. Riding on the theme, ‘Solutions that create a better society,’ students are invited to build prototypes of IoT enabled solutions based on the LoRaWANTM specification. The students will have access to Tata Communications’ dedicated IoT network, IoT platform and expert mentorship offered by Tata Communications and an opportunity to compete for prizes amounting to Rs 9.5 lakhs. 

With global advancements in technology, a strengthening local startup ecosystem, and access to a young talent pool, India is on its way to becoming the next innovation hub for the world. The Grand India IoT Innovation Challenge is an initiative by Tata Communications to engage with India’s youth to build solutions to cater to the digital transformation needs that will enable government bodies, corporates, private institutions, amongst others, to make data driven proactive decisions, thereby enhancing organisational and public engagement and transforming our living and work spaces into a smart environment.

The 3-month long challenge is divided into three phases: idea submission, prototype development and the grand finale. Tata Communications will provide the students with Raspberry Pi™ kits, access to LoRaWAN-based technology, expert mentorship, and more to build impactful IoT solutions and guide them through this journey.

Timelines:

Phase 1: Applications open (August 6th – September 6th 2018)

Phase 2: Building prototypes (September 14th – November 12th 2018)

Phase 3: Final selections (End November 2018)

VS Shridhar, Senior Vice President & Head, Internet of Things, Tata Communications said, “The Grand India IoT Innovation Challenge is Tata Communications’ endeavor to invest in and nurture India’s youth by giving them the platform to apply their academic learnings to a practical scenario, by prototyping innovative IoT solutions. This practical experience will benefit them hugely as they enter the job markets and get ready to take on real life civic and corporate challenges.”

Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII said, “India is rapidly progressing on the path of digital transformation and requires continued collaboration across industry bodies, governments and corporates to realise the full potential of IoT. Tata Communications’ technology and leadership have been at the forefront of our country’s IoT innovation and we are thrilled to partner with them and engage with talented youth to create path-breaking solutions for a better tomorrow.”

Tata Communications has played a key role in enabling IoT solutions globally – from providing a fully managed IoT solution through the Tata Communications MOVE™ platform to ensuring an end to end IOT solutions in India based on LoRaWAN.

Earlier this year, Tata Communications, in partnership with CII, announced to launch the CII – Tata Communications Centre for Digital Transformation, to help organisations in India unlock the true benefits of digital technologies. The newly formed CII – Tata Communications Centre for Digital Transformation will act as a catalyst to accelerate digital change for the nation by bringing the industry together to spur adoption of mobile, cloud, Internet of Everything and champion the cultivation of new talent and help drive innovation forward.

Driving further awareness and adoption of IoT is a critical aspect of this initiative with CII. Tata Communications is already laying the foundation for IoT in India with the world’s largest LoRaWAN network spanning across 2000 communities and 38 cities in the country to create an end-to-end connected ecosystem. This will give rise to a new civic operating system which will be fuelled by data to enable seamless and secure connectivity between devices to make public services more accessible, reduce environmental impact and empower communities at large.