VELLORE: When aspirations run high, resources are never a constraint. This appears to be the case with the VIT University here which has been supporting innovators in building technology products through its Technology Business Incubator (VITTBI). The VITTBI is an outreach centre for the Technopreneur Promotion Programme (TePP), a flagship initiative of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India. Thirty innovators have been facilitated support to the tune of Rs 85 lakh through VITTBI. VIT chancellor G Viswanathan said that the aim of this programme was to support aspiring entrepreneurs interested in promoting technology-based start-up ventures. VITTBI, which came into being in 2003, helps raise innovation grants for converting ideas into products and subsequently for commercialising the same. Balajee Rajaram, an alumnus of VIT University, was able to develop a set-top box called the Versatile Internet Communication Equipment (VICE) that could enable audio-video (AV) chat using conventional television sets with the support from VITTBI. Rajaram says that the box can be used with any kind of Internet connection from DSL to 3G for AV chat and video downloads. S Kumar from Hyderabad is another candidate who had an idea to develop a Pneumatic Saturation Condensation system for the generation of drinking water from the sea using the waste heat present in fossil fuel fired thermal power plant flue gas. Acknowledging his idea, VITTBI facilitated a grant of Rs 15 lakh through TePP. Kumar utilised this grant to develop the technology recently.VITTBI has also facilitated grants of up to Rs 10 lakh to Dr M Christopher from Tirunelveli to develop a non-invasive blood sugar and haemoglobin analyser. Radha Kamalakaran, K R Karthik, V Kalyani and Abraham Joseph from Chennai are also beneficiaries of the TePP programme. Santhosh Kurian from Kasargod, Kerala is developing a double tank flush cistern with a grant of Rs 75,000.Expecting a rampant scale up of the programme, the outreach centre at VITTBI is at present scouting for innovators in the form of students, faculty and/or any independent individual innovator with a patentable and scalable idea. TePP offers support in two phases namely innovation incubation support of up to Rs 15 lakh and enterprise incubation support of up to Rs 45 lakh.Interested individuals aspiring to avail facilitation through VITTBI may contact [email protected] , call 0416 2202301 or visit the website www.vittbi.com.
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