ANIC Overview

Introduction

Atal New India Challenge is a flagship program of Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog. The program aims to seek, select, support and nurture technology-based innovations that solve sectoral challenges of national importance and societal relevance.

ANIC 1.0 followed an open innovation challenge format where challenge statements were put out in the public domain and a call for application was done. The received applications moved through 3 rounds of evaluations including in-person presentation by shortlisted applicants before a technical screening and selection committee (SSC)

The winner start-ups / individual innovators are supported through a tranche-based grant-in-aid of up to INR 1 crore and through AIM’s innovation network. The support is to take the prototype to commercialization stage in a total duration of the 12 – 18 months

Highlights:

ANIC was launched in partnership with 5 ministries across 24 challenge areas

• Ministry of Jal Shakti
• Ministry of Railways
• Ministry of Agriculture and FW
• Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
• Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

• ANIC received 900+ complete applications
• 150 applications were shortlisted from 11 challenge areas for presentation before the screening and selection committee (SSC)
• 52 applications were further shortlisted for Working Committee (WC) review
• 30 projects approved for final grant-in-aid and associated support from AIM

Current Status:

• 30 innovations / start-ups are being supported by AIM through grant-in-aid and associated support from AIM’s innovation ecosystem
• Grant-in-Aid worth INR 22.85 crores approved
• 1st tranche of grant-in-aid (30% of total grant-in-aid approved) worth INR 6.85 crores disbursed to the 30 grantees
• 2nd tranche work in progress