India is soaring to great heights when it comes to the start-up ecosystem. There is no doubt that India is now among the leading countries in terms of innovation. Due to emerging young minds, entrepreneurs, new ideas, and awareness regarding patent filing, India secured 46th rank in the Global Innovation Index 2022 published by WIPO (World Intellectual property Organization). Moreover, the stake of Gujarat is highest in terms of innovation and Start-ups. When it comes to providing grants, Gujarat is the only state which provides grants of 2.5 lakh rupees at the ideation stage so that students can get a level playing field for experimentation and innovation.
The Gujarat Government with the vision of Double engine growth brought SSIP 1.0 in 2017 for 5 years i.e., up to 2021, which came out to be a successful initiative that provided financial support of 200 crores in the form of grants to start-ups across India. It also led to the establishment of 51 incubation centers at various universities Moreover, 1400 Intellectual property (IP) filings and support to 7000 Proof of concepts were provided under it.
What’s new in version 2.0?
SSIP 2.0 (2022-2027) aims to reach out and sensitize 5 million students to relish their innovation and entrepreneurship. Around 500 crores as a corpus fund would be disbursed to the innovators. 10,000 student-led proof of concepts (prototypes) will be supported under the initiative. Assistance to 5000 IP filings and capacity building of 500 educational institutes will be carried out under the aegis of this program. The vision of the policy is ‘Sustainable development and inclusive growth for Atmanirbhar Gujarat’ with the concept of “Mind to Market”
Age limit- Anyone up to the age of 35 years, studying in school, college, alumni, or dropout is eligible.
Role of i-Hub in taking SSIP to next level
i-Hub is a nodal agency incorporated to become a center for all startup stakeholders to develop end-end innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem in Gujarat. The organization has reached out to more than 4 lakh students through capacity-building programs
Around 439 start-ups have received incubation support under i-hub, Mentor support, Demo days, and support to women-led start-ups are some of the initiatives taken by the organization to boost SSIP policy and take it to every innovator and entrepreneur who wishes to change the world through innovation.
