The Office of Principal Scientific Adviser is facilitating the Carbon Zero Challenge 2022 – Circularity for Resource Conservation and Sustainability organised by IIT Madras.

The challenge is funded by Thales, and supported by Aquamap@IITM, GDCentre for Innovation, Energy Consortium whereas the knowledge partners are IIT Madras Incubation cell and Climate Collective.

Carbon Zero Challenge (CZC), an All-India Eco-Innovation and Entrepreneurship competition aims to accelerate the lab-to-market transition of eco-innovations in India by funding the innovations from proof-of-concept, lab-scale solutions to working prototypes or pilots. CZC gives a platform to equip the faculty and students with the training, mentoring and support required to transform ideas to market ready ventures. The theme for CZC2022 is CZC for CRC  “Circularity for Resources Conservation”

CZC 2022 would focus on fostering innovative solutions incorporating circularity and sustainability for managing and conserving the following resources - Air, Water, Soil, Materials, and Energy

Details about the challenge:

• Start with Proof-of-Concept Stage:  CZC 2022 will focus its target applicant pool to teams that have already demonstrated and validated lab-scale proof of concept, with a clear technological advancement.
• Focus on Sustainability problems: Less-prioritized Clean Tech Challenges such as Water/Waste/Soil/Air Pollution and recovery of resources that are not receiving sufficient attention from the investment community. The proposed solutions should address significant sustainability problems in resource conservation and have a large societal impact..
• Wider Range of Solutions: Solutions to sustainability challenges can be new technology or a new business model or a new app-based inventory or a new policy intervention or a combination of the three.
• Faculty-led/Research scientist-led teams: Faculty initiation and involvement are key to sustain the momentum and continue the journey to higher TRLs and Incubating Startups.
• Focus on Commercialisation of research: CZC will invest in developing the “go-to-market capabilities” of the selected teams and expect the teams to develop their alignment and relevance to the marketplace.

Timeline:

For more details about the challenge and to apply for the CZC2022, visit: https://manthan.gov.in/app-ct/Opportunities/c1334bab-2c4d-48f6-a7e6-4d5b3a1f7657/05dbedf9-d484-4c3d-8b5f-75bbfc47ca70/carbon-zero-challenge-czc-2022-iit-madras-inviting-applications-for-the-all-india-eco-innovation-and-entrepreneurship-contest-in-collaboration-with-thales